Artemis Fowl and the Winter of Decay
by Kioshima
Summary: Post TAC. Following Artemis' recovery from Atlantis complex, Holly is abducted and held to ransom by a mysterious and utterly ruthless foe. While Artemis and the LEP work to save her, it quickly becomes clear that they have drastically underestimated their opponent. A/H. Rated "T" for violence/darker themes. More info inside. COMPLETE.
1. Lucid

**A/N: This story is, in many ways, my alternative to TLG, since many people (including myself) felt it wasn't a great book. Like TLG, my story starts with Artemis being declared cured of Atlantis - in fact the first chapter is based of/a re-imagining of the first chapter of TLG. Bear with me, I promise its a lot more original after this ;). There ARE a few characters of my own invention, but mostly they play a very minor role (aside from the main antagonist - seriously who wanted more Opal Koboi). I have the entire story arc written so hopefully updates will be frequent. My plan/notes are ~10k words and I intend this to be a book-length adventure.**

 **Disclaimer: See the bit at the top of the page that says "FanFiction"? I think it would be safe to assume I don't own Artemis Fowl.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1;**

 **From the case notes of Dr. Jerbal Argon, Psych Brotherhood**

1\. Artemis Fowl, once self-proclaimed _teenage criminal mastermind_ , now prefers the term _juvenile genius_. Apparently, Artemis has changed. (Note to self: Harrumph).

2\. For the past six months Artemis has been undergoing weekly therapy sessions at my clinic in Haven City in an attempt to overcome a serious case of Atlantis Complex, a psychological condition that he developed as a result of meddling in fairy magic. (Serves him right, silly Mud Boy).

3\. Remember to submit outrageous bill to Lower Elements Police.

4\. Artemis appears to be cured, and in record time too. Is this likely? Or even possible?

5\. Order more painkillers for my blasted hip.

6\. Issue clean bill of mental health for Artemis. Final session today.

 **Dr. Argon's office, Haven City, The Lower Elements**

Artemis Fowl was actually a few minutes early, but he refused to enter the office before the designated time. It was a small thing, but Artemis was very particular about arrangements.

He was about to get up from his seat when the door opened to reveal a rather miffed looking Dr. Argon.

"What in the world are doing out here, Mud Boy?" he asked. "I've been ready for you for several minutes now."

"Why ever would that be, doctor? Our session doesn't start for-" he smirked, checking his watch – "another seven seconds."

Argon sighed. "Just get in here," he grumbled.

Artemis complied, delighted to have already managed to annoy his therapist. He had been cured for about a month (his phenomenal intellect had accelerated the process substantially) and yet Argon still insisted on wasting his time with his amateurish psychoanalysis. The least Artemis could do in response was to antagonise him at every possible opportunity.

"So Artemis," Argon began as his subject sat down, his voice settling back into its usual condescending tone. "I'd like to start today by talking a little about your dreams." When Artemis said nothing, he continued. "Go on then – tell me. What did you dream about last night?"

A shadow appeared across Artemis's face and he seemed to squirm a little. "Actually, the thing is doctor… well last night I had a bit of a nightmare."

Argon leaned forward, clearly excited by this revelation. "And what was this nightmare about?"

"It was about this awful gnome. He kept forcing me to endure his pathetic excuses for therapy sessions. He seemed to labour under the delusion that he had _anything_ of value to offer me," replied the boy, his voice dripping with contempt and his lip curling. "Now, _doctor_ , please understand that my lifespan is significantly shorter than yours; I would appreciate it if you could stop wasting my time."

"Now listen here, Mud Boy," Argon began, his mood souring once again. "I've put a huge amount of effort into helping you overcome your Atlantis, despite what you've done to the People in the past, despite your insolence and despite this damn pain in my leg. I've put up with you this long, the least you can do is show a little respect, if not offer some much owed thanks."

Artemis sighed theatrically. It was sweet really - the doctor actually thought he deserved any of Artemis's respect. Even more amusing though was Argon's hip problem – Artemis was confident that it had been caused by past treatment for turned in feet. It could likely be solved with a simple brace, but where would be the fun in telling him that? Artemis was astonished no doctors in haven had figured it out.

"You wish me to treat you with respect, doctor?" Artemis finally responded, his voice cold. "Very well. I shall speak candidly. I hold your opinion in relatively low regard. You hold myself and my species in very low regard; I am only here because you are able to charge the LEP an extortionate fee and because you believe my presence may aid you in your desperate ploy for fame. I tolerate you because I have very little choice – I need you to sign off on my mental health."

It was, of course, all true. Artemis was rarely wrong. Argon opened his mouth to either argue or complain (he wasn't sure which yet), but closed it again before any sound came out.

"We are both fully aware that I have been cured for some time now," continued Artemis, still showing no signs of emotion. "In fact, this is our final session; perhaps you could both of us a favour and issue me a clean bill of mental health now rather than later."

Argon was beat and he knew it. Artemis was right, this was a waste of time and he didn't have any desire to spend the next almost an hour arguing about it with the smarmy Mud Boy. Besides, his hip was killing him.

"Fine, you win Fowl," he muttered, handing over the already signed document. "Now get out of my city."

"Gladly," replied the human teen icily. He took the sheet and scanned it briefly before standing to leave. For a moment he debated thanking the doctor, or offering his diagnosis of the leg problem, but after reflecting on how his last month had been wasted, thought better of it. Perhaps he would email the doctor designs for a suitable brace at a later date. Or then again, perhaps he wouldn't.

* * *

Artemis Fowl stepped out of the J. Argon clinic and onto the streets of Haven. He took a breath and smiled. It felt good to be back.

Despite the fact that he had managed to get out long before he was scheduled to, it didn't take long for Holly to arrive.

"Wow," she commented when she found him already waiting for her. "You took even less time to convince him than I thought you would."

"I can be very persuasive when I want to be," responded Artemis. Their eyes met for a moment, each of them staring into one of their own. She laughed, and he smiled.

"You seem back to your old infuriating self, does this mean Haven can finally be rid of you?"

"I certainly hope so." He glanced away, a look of sadness flitting across face. "It's been far too long since I saw my family. Speaking of which, where's our meet?"

She gestured in a certain direction and started walking; he fell in step next to her. "Butler's already with the shuttle," she told him. "No doubt he'll be pleased to see you back in full control of your mental faculties."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Please Holly, you and I – and Butler for that matter – both know that I've been completely sane for some time now."

It was true, and the thought gave her warmth. No more counting words, no more delusions or paranoia, no more irrational fear of the number four. Her friend was back.

"You could even say I've been sane for more than _four_ weeks," he smirked. The fact that the sentence had been twelve words was not lost on Holly.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach the shuttle that the LEP had organised to take Butler and Artemis back to the surface. They were greeted by an LEP officer Artemis didn't recognise. He raised an eyebrow at the elf in question.

"Major K'Azir," the elf said, correctly interpreting the expression as a cue to introduce himself. "The council dictated that you have an at least one more senior LEP officer escort you."

Artemis looked confused. "They don't trust Holly to keep an eye on me?"

Holly suddenly seemed very interested in her feet, while K'Azir's eyes twinkled in amusement. "I'm afraid Captain Short will not be accompanying you," he said. "But you can instead enjoy the company of a certain Corporal Kelp."

Artemis sighed, making no secret of his discomfort at the prospect of spending any time with Grub Kelp. He looked at Holly and opened his mouth, but she cut him off.

"Sorry Artemis, but it's not exactly like I had a choice. Trouble isn't what I'd call impressed with the amount of time I've been spending with you while you've been recovering. I'm more than a little behind on paperwork – he made it very clear that I was not needed for this trip."

Artemis was disappointed, but desperate not to show it. He shrugged, keeping his face impassive. "It's a full moon in two days, I seem to remember you saying something about being low on magic…?"

Holly looked momentarily puzzled, but quickly caught on. "Yep, I'm completely dry. Very irresponsible of me." She smiled and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "See you around, Mud Boy."

Allowing a smile to tug at the corners of mouth, Artemis stepped aboard the LEP shuttle, flanked by K'Azir.

"Artemis," said Butler warmly as he noticed the youth. He was clearly pleased to have someone to focus on other than Grub, who was no doubt debating whether to mention what had happened when the two had met during the Fowl Manor siege. Grub absolutely loved recounting how he had faced down the man-mountain after the rest of his team had fallen; unfortunately, since this was not even remotely close to what really happened, bringing the subject up in front of someone who had actually been there might not end very well.

"Old friend," replied Artemis. "I trust my family has been informed of our impending return?"

"Of course," said the manservant, as the pilot finished his pre-flight checks. "According to our fairy friends, we will arrive in a little under an hour."

"Perfect."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks so much for reading! This is not only my first post on this site, but also my first attempt at writing any fiction since school. Be gentle. But above all else, PLEASE REVIEW. I _really_ want some feedback. Doesn't matter if it's pointing out a typo, correcting grammar, something you think should have been phrased differently or a critique of my writing style, I really would love to hear your thoughts!**


	2. Broken

**A/N: This chapter actually contains some action (yay!) and starts to set up the plot. Enjoy! :D**

 **Chapter 2;**

There was no other way to put it: Holly felt _good_. Like all fairies, she loved to fly. But as she soared over the Irish countryside, her suit protecting her from the bitter winter air, she knew it was more than that. She was technically here to complete the ritual, but the disapproving look Trouble had given her as he signed her visa had made it clear that he knew what her primary motivation was. Still, that didn't mean she wouldn't take the opportunity to top up her tank. In fact, she had shielded most of the way to Ireland to justify taking a riskier (and far more interesting) land route, and wasn't quite as full as she had been.

The real question, however, was; what should she do first? See Artemis or complete the ritual? Despite her excitement to see her human friend, she knew the smart call was the ritual. Just in case she needed magic – she _was_ visiting Artemis Fowl after all, who knew what could happen? Besides, if did restore her magic first, it would be far easier to sneak up on him using her shield and make him jump. _Watch out Mud Boy,_ she thought, smirking

She scanned for nearby ritual sites. There was Tara of course, but on a beautiful night like this it would be jam-packed with surface-sick fairies. Instead she selected a more obscure site, made difficult to access by a few bogs. She smiled, remembering having a very similar train of thought many years ago. She had used the same reasoning to choose this particular ritual site after a disastrous encounter with a troll in Southern Italy. It had turned out to be a spectacularly poor decision that had resulted in her being kidnapped and held to ransom by Artemis Fowl. Still, that didn't mean her logic hadn't been sound, did it? And if she was honest with herself, hadn't her unfortunate encounter with Artemis ended up working out better for everyone involved? Certainly neither she or Artemis would be the people they were today otherwise; not to mention the People would probably have been revealed by Opal Koboi or Minerva Paradizo without Artemis's help. _And,_ she realised, _I would be lying dead in the ash on Hybras._ She shivered at the memory.

She landed lightly after reaching her destination and it took her only a moment to scan her surroundings for humans. Satisfied, she removed her helmet, and shook out her auburn hair. She took a deep breath of fresh air (at least, fresher than the recycled air in Haven) and stepped forward to pluck an acorn.

* * *

When Artemis had ambushed Holly all those years ago, luck had saved her from Butler's first dart – she had crouched at the instant it was fired. Ladislav Petrov didn't mess around with hypodermic darts, and he certainly didn't miss. The 7.62mm round from his modified M14 rifle tore straight through Holly's LEP uniform and ripped apart her thigh.

The elf screamed and went down, blue sparks already dancing towards the mess of mangled flesh and shattered bone. Doing her best to ignore the white hot knives of pain shooting from her leg to her brain, Holly just about managed to reach a desperate hand towards her discarded helmet, but it didn't matter. A combination of pain and the magical healing process claimed her consciousness. She never saw the pair of figures approaching her, clad all in black and cradling automatic rifles.

* * *

Artemis may have been exceptionally good at hiding his emotions, but Butler had long since learnt to identify when his young charge was worried. And something was definitely bothering him now.

"Artemis?" he asked, tentatively. "What's wrong?"

Artemis looked up from his laptop, obviously startled. "Oh it's you, Butler. Sorry I didn't realise you were there. I'm a little preoccupied at the moment." He tried smiling apologetically as though it was no big deal, but his bodyguard was not so easily deterred.

"Don't avoid the question, Artemis. I know something is wrong. I thought we agreed you weren't going to keep secrets anymore?"

It didn't take a genius – even though Artemis was – to spot the obvious guilt trip about Artemis's behaviour when he had been in the throes of his Atlantis Complex. He sighed and checked his watch for the twentieth time in as many minutes.

"Holly is supposed to be completing the ritual tonight," he began. "She agreed to stop by here and see how I was getting on since my return, and she said she'd be here half an hour ago. At the absolute latest."

"It's not like her to go back on her word," Butler commented, frowning. "Or to be late for that matter. Perhaps you should call her. Or Foaly."

Artemis cocked his head, and after a moment of thought, began to slowly nod. He twisted his ring (the one that concealed a fairy communicator), and looked distinctly worried when nothing much happened.

"She's not answering," he said quietly. He twisted the ring again and this time, after a moment had passed, there was a response.

"May the fours be with you," exclaimed a rather theatrical-sounding voice. "How may I, the humble yet brilliant Foaly, be of service to you, Mud Boy?"

"I need to know where Holly is," responded Artemis, his tone crisp and business-like. "Now."

"What? No. Firstly, no. Secondly, you don't get to give me orders. Thirdly, no I am definitely not just going to give out the location of LEP officers to random humans. _Fourthly-_ " he paused just long enough for Artemis to realise it was a jibe, "Why? Now I come to think about it, it's actually quite creepy you calling me at god-knows-what hour of the morning to ask so you can stalk my friend. How do you think Holly would react to this, hmm?"

Artemis was briefly stunned into silence, but it didn't take him long to recover. "Stalking? _Stalking?_ It's got nothing to do with stalking, I happen to be worried about the physical well-being of one of my friends, and you accuse me of being a stalker?"

"Worried? What do you mean worried?" Foaly's voice had lost some of its swagger.

"Oh, interested now are we?" Artemis responded, the sneer on his face evident in his tone. "It just so happens that our friend is missing. So perhaps you'd care to tell me where she is?"

"Holly's a big girl, Artemis, she can look after herself. I highly doubt she is _missing_." There was a pause during which Artemis and Butler could hear Foaly tapping away at keys. "Oh come on Artemis, she's at a ritual site. No abnormal readings whatsoever, just a small gap in data transmission from about forty minutes ago, and that's almost certainly just a glitch. It's almost as if she went to the surface specifically to complete the ritual! Did it ever occur to you that she might be running late? Or maybe she just didn't want to see you? I certainly wouldn't blame her. Now stop wasting the LEP's time and resources on your childish fears. Goodnight Artemis."

Since the call was severed before he could respond, Artemis had to settle for sitting still and quietly fuming. At least, that was until Butler shattered the silence.

"There you go, Artemis. You have your answer. I'm sure Holly is fine."

After a long pause, Artemis nodded his head absently. "I suppose you're probably right," he muttered, but uncertainty was etched in his mismatched eyes.

* * *

Artemis woke to thin streams of winter sun dancing across his face. He opened his eyes and squinted angrily at the gap in his curtains. He was dimly aware that he had no recollection of leaving his study the night before, and guessed that Butler had carried him to his room once he had fallen asleep. But before he could dwell on it, another thought sliced through his groggy consciousness.

 _Holly._

He was instantly awake. He realised that he was still wearing his communicator ring, and without hesitating he twisted it; but there was no response from the elfin captain. Exactly as he had done the night before, he resorted to seeking the aid of the LEP's technical consultant.

"Did Holly return to Haven last night?" he asked, without waiting for Foaly to say anything.

"D'Arvit Artemis, this again?" the centaur sounded like he'd just been woken up by a call he _really_ hadn't wanted to receive. Artemis ignored this.

"This is serious Foaly – answer the question. Did she come back?"

"Yes, no, maybe, I don't know. For goodness sake Mud Boy, I have better things to do with my time than this."

Artemis was famed for being extraordinarily good at staying calm, and for adopting an icy mask of composure on the rare occasions that he wasn't. Even so, he came very close to losing his temper at that moment.

"No you bloody well don't! She isn't here, she isn't answering any of my calls, and I'd be willing to bet that she isn't in Haven either. She is one of the best officers – if not the best officer – in the LEP. More than that, _she is your friend._ So, for the third time, where is she?"

There was a long silence, finally broken by Foaly. "That's odd," he said softly. "She's still at the ritual site. Maybe she slept there…?"

"Sure," Artemis snorted, "Holly Short decided she would just spend a casual night sleeping on the surface, in the open, in full view of any humans that happened upon her, without telling anyone. Sounds like just the sort of thing she would do, right?"

"OK, OK. No need to bite my head off. I admit it's not like her, but what else do you think happened? Her vitals are all completely normal, in fact…" he paused, his tone becoming more confused. "According to this all the readings from her suit remained completely consistent throughout the night. She didn't sleep, she didn't move, she didn't _do_ anything. I'll talk to Trouble; he'll want to know about this."

"Tell me which site she's at Foaly; I will be able to reach it long before the LEP can even prepare a recon officer.

Foaly considered it. It was no doubt the most efficient course of action, but then again he didn't imagine Commander Kelp would be thrilled if he outsourced what could be a very important LEP operation to a human. Not just any human either – Trouble wasn't exactly part of the Artemis Fowl fan club. Still, this was Holly and she might be in danger. He had to do what would be best for her.

"OK, Fowl. I'll send the co-ordinates, but only on the condition that you stay in constant contact with me and promise to follow any orders the LEP give you. Oh and take Butler – it could be dangerous."

"Of course," replied Artemis absently. He had already sent a text to Butler explaining the situation and asking him to get ready to enter a hostile area, and was now busy connecting his ring to an earpiece and mic so he could more easily stay in touch with Foaly.

Only fifteen minutes after waking up, Artemis found himself in the passenger seat of the Fowl Bentley. Next to him Butler looked more or less ready to declare war on any number of small countries, with various weaponry and munitions evident all over his person.

 **A/N: Once again, thanks for reading! And, as before, please review! It means the world to me. :)  
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	3. Cruel

**A/N: First of all thank you very much to those few who have reviewed so far (means a lot). Secondly, I plan to definitely upload once a week, but I'll try and make it more frequent when I can. This chapter is a little longer than the previous two and in general I'll try and write longer chapters in future. Enjoy :)**

 **Chapter 3;**

It didn't take long to reach the ritual site, at least not with the liberal attitude to speed restrictions that Artemis had insisted Butler adhere to. The human boy wore the same mask of detached calm that he always did, but Butler knew he was worried. Holly had been an enormous part of Artemis's life and the bodyguard wasn't sure whether his charge would recover if something happened to her.

Artemis, for his part, was simply choosing to ignore the possibility that Holly was in any real danger. He and Butler walked in apprehensive silence toward the ancient oak that supposedly stood alongside Holly Short, the manservant already with a silenced Sig Sauer pistol cradled in his enormous hands.

Time stopped when Artemis saw the oak. A single word slipped out of mouth, unbidden, in a hoarse whisper.

"Holly…"

Leaning against the tree (no, Artemis realised with horror, _nailed_ to the tree) was a diminutive figure clad in an LEP uniform and covered with blood. A sign was hung around the neck with the words "We'll be in touch ;)" painted with a substance that was deep red and terrible.

Artemis was dimly aware of Butler saying something about a possible ambush, and Foaly shouting in his ear for an explanation as to what was going on, but none of that seemed to matter. He staggered forward. This couldn't be. He had to see the face because this simply wasn't possible. Holly couldn't die, not after everything they had been through, not alone in this god-forsaken bog.

As soon as he reached the grotesque display of savagery he tore the figure's helmet off. What he saw was most definitely not the face of Captain Short. He saw human features. A girl, perhaps nine or ten years old, a similar height to a fairy. She was dead, there was no doubt about that; it hadn't been pleasant either. Nothing bled that much _after_ death.

A hand touched his shoulder lightly – Butler, he realised – and for the first time he tried to make sense of the words from his earpiece.

"For Frond's sake Fowl, what the hell is going on?"

Artemis tried to answer, but the words wouldn't come. Even his prestigious brain was overcome by the combination of relief at finding out Holly wasn't dead, and the utter revulsion at realising what had been done. That girl, that young, innocent girl, had died for nothing. Died so someone could send a twisted message. Died to scare Artemis. Brutally killed out of sheer malice. It was repugnant.

After throwing up a bit, Artemis finally managed to put together a sentence. "Holly isn't here but her uniform… they have her. And they killed a human girl to make it look like she was dead. There's a message – "We'll be in touch". No doubt someone has captured her and intends to issue the LEP with a set of demands."

Of course that wasn't strictly the whole message – Artemis had decided to leave out the little winky face. It was surreal, seeing the jovial emoticon along with the bloodied corpse of an innocent child; it was as though someone had taken great amusement in the whole thing and felt the need to communicate that to them. _Deliberate,_ thought Artemis. _This is all a horrific display of power. And ruthlessness. We are being told not to even consider trying to go up against whomever did this._

Artemis thought back to his own kidnapping of the elf in question – he had understood the need to send a strong message to his opponents. He had dispatched an entire retrieval team (well, Butler had) and he had carefully orchestrated events that would _almost_ kill Commander Root. But as callous and ruthless as he had been at the time, it had never even crossed his mind to attempt something like this.

He was shaken from his thoughts by Commander Trouble Kelp's voice in his ear.

"Do you mean to tell me there is LEP equipment just lying around? Foaly – self-destruct all of Holly's gear-"

"No."

"Excuse me, Mud Boy? Since when do you give orders?" came the angry reply from the LEP commander.

"I said no." Artemis's voice had a kind of quiet authority to it that even Trouble Kelp couldn't ignore. "If you do that, the body will be destroyed. This girl's parents will never know what happened to their daughter. She will just be another missing person, another unsolved crime. Trust me, to have someone you care about simply disappear and not know what happened to them is not something anyone deserves."

"Very well, Fowl. Extricate the mud girl and send her to the police or whatever," Trouble muttered, not really sounding like he cared. "We'll put together a team to investigate the site tonight, see if we can turn up any clues."

"Guys this isn't right," Foaly began. "According to my data, Holly is still wearing that suit and she is absolutely fine. Which means-" He paused uncomfortably, clearly unhappy with what he was about to say "-someone compromised my system. Wirelessly. And left no trace. I'm guessing the brief gap in data transmission I mentioned yesterday was actually caused by this hack."

On any other day this would have captured Artemis's attention immediately. After all, he was aware of exactly how hard this would be to do having tried more than once himself. And investigating the source of the hack would be precisely his forte, a challenge he would normally have relished. But this was not any other day. Artemis Fowl looked much older than the slender age of fifteen. Overwhelmed by a sudden feeling of exhaustion, he took out the earpiece and began trudging back toward the Bentley. Butler followed at a respectful distance.

As impressive as Artemis's brain was, it had room for just one thought at that moment: _they have Holly. They have her._

* * *

Holly woke to pain. Initially she was confused, but the shroud over her memory quickly lifted when she became aware that the ache originated from her thigh. Remembering the attack, she guessed from the fact that her leg wasn't in pieces that her remaining magic had been used to heal the wound. Judging by the pain, she hadn't had enough left to heal it totally.

Letting out an involuntary whimper, she twisted and tried to get a better understanding of her surroundings. She was alive, that was a surprise in itself, but her arms and legs were both bound. There wasn't enough light to see anything, but by feeling around she deduced she was trapped in a very tight space. Fighting the inevitable wave of panic from her claustrophobia, she placed a pointed ear to one of the surfaces and listened carefully. She wasn't able to make out much, but there was a sort of background noise – an engine maybe? So she was likely in a moving vehicle of some sort, possibly a car or truck, but she couldn't be sure.

Trapped and alone, her mind wandered, eventually arriving at an event three (or six, depending on how you count) years ago. Artemis had attacked and abducted her in a similar fashion, waiting for her to arrive to complete the ritual and then pouncing on her with sniper fire. She had awoken in a concrete cell, similarly drained of magic, and forced to face the terrifyingly cold boy that seemed at the time to be capable of any conceivable monstrosity. But he had changed – or more specifically, _she_ had changed him. Somehow she doubted her new captors would be so malleable.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a sharp drop in the pit of her stomach. _I'm on an aircraft of some sort,_ she realised. _And it's about to land._

Without warning, one side of the crate she was in was thrust open, flooding the small space with blinding white light. Blinking furiously, Holly tried desperately to adapt to the sudden change, but before she could no anything a fist met her face, knocking her back against the wall. Struggling against strong hands, she thought she heard a voice cursing in Russian and felt a needle pierce her arm.

Then everything went black.

* * *

It was no surprise that sleep was not forthcoming for Artemis Fowl. He had retreated even deeper into his shell since his return from the horrifying scene of the ritual site, brooding. After tossing, turning, and thoroughly failing to keep his thoughts from dwelling on his missing friend, he decided to abandon the attempt at rest.

He wondered through the eerily silent corridors of Fowl Manor, eventually finding himself in the music room. Realising he had nothing better to do and that the act would probably be a good distraction, he sat down at the grand piano. The room was well sound-proofed and a good distance from everyone's rooms, so there was no danger of waking anyone else up.

He had only been playing for a few minutes, just starting to let the music take over his body, when he was interrupted.

"Arty? What are you doing here?" The voice belonged to his mother.

The boy paused, his hands hovering above the keys. He wasn't sure what to say, so he settled on the truth.

"I couldn't sleep, mother. And I could ask you a similar question."

Angeline ignored the latter part of her son's response. "Arty, what's wrong? And don't even think about trying to claim nothing is – I can tell when something is bothering you. You certainly haven't seemed yourself since you returned this morning."

A long-neglected part of Artemis yearned to simply tell his mother what had happened and retreat into her warm embrace. To abandon his façade and be told that everything would be alright. To be a child. But lying had always been so much easier.

"Honestly, mother. Nothing is wrong," he voice was even, with a hint of false exasperation, careful not to betray the truth. "I am merely a little preoccupied; my modifications to my ice cube are not proceeding quite as planned."

She surveyed him, looking into one of Holly's eyes. Try as Artemis might to hide it, the truth was written there for anyone to see.

"I'm guessing since last night was a full moon, and since you've only just returned from Haven, you met Holly last night." It wasn't a question. "Did you fight with her?"

Artemis glanced at the clock on the wall. It was a few minutes past midnight – _about a minute after Foaly guessed that Holly was attacked,_ he thought. It was not a coincidence, then, that his fairy communicator chose that moment to ring. He may have been afraid of the news he was about to be given, but at that precise moment he was grateful of any excuse to avoid answering his mother's questions.

"Please mother, I believe this to be a call of vital importance. Could we perhaps discuss this tomorrow?" _Or, preferably, never._

Angeline Fowl regarded the troubled teen for a long moment. She was aware that normally only Holly called him on his ring, and Artemis's reaction to the call was no doubt confirming her suspicions.

"It wouldn't hurt to call me "mum" sometimes, you know," she said as she turned to leave, her voice soft and tinged with sadness.

As soon as she was satisfied she was out of earshot, Artemis twisted his ring.

"Foaly, talk to me." His immense trepidation was deliberately absent from his tone.

"Took your time, eh Mud Boy?" came the centaur's predictably sardonic reply. "We got word from the kidnappers. They want gold or she dies. Badly. And they'll reveal the existence of The People."

"How much?"

Foaly's intake of breath was easily audible. "Ten."

"Ten what?"

"Tonnes."

Artemis exhaled. "That's a lot of gold."

"I know, obviously the LEP can't afford it, and we also can't let Holly die or The People to be revealed. So our only choice is to find her."

"How long do we have?" asked Artemis, his head already filled with a plethora of plans, options and calculations.

"The e-mail said they'll give us forty-eight hours to gather funds and then disclose a drop point." The response was matter of fact, but Artemis could sense Foaly's worry. Two days wasn't much time.

"Remember how you planned to beat me when I kidnapped Holly?"

"Don't remind me, Mud Boy," Foaly grumbled. He didn't like thinking about how the LEP was completely outplayed by a twelve-year-old human.

"I'm serious – think about it. It very nearly worked. It would have done if you had been dealing with anyone apart from myself. But you could only attempt it because you had the gold."

Foaly snorted. "Are you insane, Fowl? Ten _tonnes_. The council will never agree to it. You know how they are with gold. Forget it."

Artemis had already run the calculations in his head. "Ten tonnes of gold would be worth somewhere in the region of four-hundred-and-twenty million US dollars. I already have half a ton from… well you know what. I could never bring myself to spend any of it. And I was planning on spending my vast riches on saving the world, but I rather think Holly takes precedent."

Artemis distinctly heard a cackle through the communicator before Trouble Kelp began speaking.

"Artemis Fowl, spend gold on someone else? Forgive me if I'm dubious. Still…" Trouble and Holly were close friends and Artemis knew this wasn't easy for him either. " _If_ you could put up the majority of the sum, we could add the last bit. We also have the half-ton she reclaimed from you, minus what Diggums stole, and I might be able to get the council to agree to a bit more. It would certainly make things a lot easier if we actually had something to negotiate with."

"My thoughts precisely, commander," said Artemis smoothly.

"As for the moment, Foaly I want you tracking that e-mail. Not that I imagine you'll have much luck considering how your tech was totally compromised yesterday without you even realising it," Kelp declared, seemingly unable to resist an opportunity tease Foaly, regardless of how serious the situation might be. "I need to inform the council of the situation, but before I go I'll have Major K'Azir begin preparing the LEP for a possible extraction – Artemis, I'd recommend you have Butler do the same. And put that big brain of yours to use."

"Done and done, commander... good luck," added the human in a rare gesture of camaraderie between himself and Trouble, who were normally at each other's throats.

* * *

A couple of hours and several adrenaline patches later, Artemis was no closer to having achieved anything than he had been when he had begun.

Now he was about to receive yet another call from Foaly and Trouble, and was fully expecting to offered precisely nothing the way of good news whatsoever. He would not be disappointed.

"Alright Fowl," Kelp's voice was tired. "Please tell me you have something."

"Not yet, I'm afraid."

"D'Arvit. Foaly's got nothing, not that he wants to admit it, my forensics team got nothing from the ritual site, and now the council has expressly forbidden me from collaborating with you. I get one call to tell you that and then nothing. In fact, a few people quite unsubtly implied you might be involved."

Artemis's eyes narrowed. "I trust you explained to them exactly how ridiculous that notion was?" the boy asked, his tone low and dangerous.

Foaly interjected before Kelp could retort. "Commander, whatever you may think of Artemis, that actually is insane. There's no way he'd ever do anything to hurt Holy."

Trouble laughed, but there was no humour in it. "God's help me, but I actually agree with you. For once Fowl might actually be innocent of something, and – although I probably shouldn't admit this – we might be able to use his help on this one. It doesn't matter though; the council has made up its mind."

Deciding that it probably wouldn't be helpful to point out that the LEP had "used his help" on numerous occasions and that without it Haven would have been destroyed several times over, Artemis simply nodded, an idea slowly forming in his mind.

"Foaly," he began. "Would your Retimager work on a dead person's eyes?"

Artemis was sure he heard the centaur crack his knuckles with glee. "Oh, that's good, Mud Boy. Very impressive. For a human. I've never actually tried it, but in theory it should work."

"It doesn't matter if it _would_ work," interjected the LEP commander. "I'm guessing you want to try and find out who killed the girl, but in case you hadn't noticed we don't _have_ the girl's eyes. And the council said they won't approve any surface missions until we know where Holly is."

"Perhaps you have forgotten to whom you are speaking. I thought we had established that I had certain talents for, shall we say, removing things from where they are supposed to be. Of course, the LEP could not work alongside someone like me, but if, hypothetically, an _artifact_ of incredible significance to the investigation was to be safely deposited near a shuttle port and away from prying eyes, there would be a way to retrieve it?"

"I suppose there might be," replied Trouble, cottoning on.

Despite the dire circumstances, Artemis smiled. No more sitting around worrying, now he could actually _do_ something.

 **A/N: Well that was a bit graphic wasn't it? Sorry. I hope no-one really thought Holly was dead. Don't worry, the rest of the story isn't going to be that brutal, but I wanted to have something like this early on for shock value, and also to demonstrate to the characters and the audience that the villain in this story really doesn't mess around. Anyway, please review!**


	4. Hunted

**Chapter 4;**

"Artemis?"

Upon seeing the tell-tale sliver of light protruding from beneath the door of Artemis's study, Butler had decided it was time he intervened. Not waiting for a response, he pushed open the door and headed towards Artemis.

"Ah, Butler," the boy said, business-like, without turning. "Just the person I needed to speak with. We will momentarily be executing a rather interesting robbery. Please prepare for-"

"Artemis it's almost five a.m. and neither of us have slept. And I don't think drugging yourself is going to work forever," he added, eyeing the stack of used adrenaline patches residing on Artemis's desk.

"Butler I assure you I am perfectly alert – we desperately need to move quickly if we are to secure the best possible chance of rescuing Captain Short."

The avoidance of Holly's first name was conspicuous – Butler guessed that Artemis was trying to distance himself personally from the current situation. He didn't think he could blame him.

"Artemis…" Butler smiled, his voice softening. "I'm sorry. I know you want to help, but believe me when I say that the best thing you can possibly do for her right now is sleep. I've seen far too many operations go awry because they were rushed or attempted under extreme stress or fatigue. Check over your plans once you've rested."

His bodyguard's demeanor may have been gentle, but there remained a firmness in his words that Artemis couldn't miss. He turned to his oldest friend and regarded him for a long moment.

"Very well," he murmured, "I suppose Trouble won't be able to send anyone for retrieval until tomorrow night anyway. If we delay a few hours, it shouldn't be too catastrophic."

After stumbling to him room, Artemis was claimed by sleep in seconds. He dreamt of darkness. And Holly.

* * *

The concrete floor was cold and unforgiving. Holly Short groaned, one eye opening and taking in her surroundings. The sight it was met with wasn't an optimistic one.

Her LEP gear had (as one might expect) all been confiscated, along with any personal affects. She felt oddly naked without her book hung around her neck. Her clothes had been replaced with human pyjamas (in a child's size she guessed) which were decorated with little teddy bears. She was torn between growling at the inappropriateness of this and shuddering at the thought of strangers changing her clothes – she hadn't even been allowed to retain her own underthings.

She pulled herself into a vaguely upright position and opened her other eye, wincing at the pain emanating from both her partially healed leg and badly bruised cheek. She was in a harsh concrete cell, positioned next to a rusty metal cot containing a threadbare mattress (clearly her captors hadn't thought she would be more comfortable left unconscious _in_ the cot). The only other thing in the cramped room was an old bulb bolted to the ceiling that provided light. It was still gloomy, but it was infinitely preferable to the pitch black in which she had found herself before.

On top of that, she felt ill. _Radiation,_ she realized. The tiny particles burned her skin and burrowed deep into her body, slowly poisoning her. Without magic, she would be dead in a week. Perhaps less.

The only way in or out of her prison was an iron door, firmly shut and looking like it was built to withstand a head-on collision with a freight train. _Butler proof,_ she thought, recalling the human in question charging through the reinforced doors at Koboi Labs, and was immediately assaulted with a tirade of unwelcome memories of her human friends. One thought, however, was louder than any other, no matter how hard she tried to pretend it wasn't there.

 _Frond, I wish I'd chosen to see Artemis before completing the ritual._

Most likely she would have been abducted anyway – unless she had chosen a different site after leaving Fowl Manor – but she would have been taken having just spoken to him. Having just said goodbye. Now she might never get to say that. One of so many things she had yet to say to the Mud Boy… _stop it. Stop it. You are not dying here. It won't take long for you to be missed and then the entire LEP will be trying to rescue you. And so will he. When has he ever let you down?_

 _More times than I can count!_ argued her other side.

 _Fine, he's not perfect. But he's always come back for you. And he's always succeeded._ She remembered his journey into the proverbial lion's den to save her from the extortionists, his miraculous shot into the past on Hybras after she had died. He had rescued her from Minerva. He had returned her finger to her. Together they had fought an entire horde of trolls. And he had saved her from Turnball's thrall. The memories comforted her enormously – whoever had kidnapped her, she realized, was about to have a very bad day.

By the time Holly was wrenched from her thoughts by the door opening, she had no idea no how much time had passed since she had been awoken, let alone since she had originally been abducted.

Three figures were revealed. The first was a heavily tattooed man, face adorned with scars. He didn't look like someone who would brook any argument, and was calmly looking down at Holly through the sights of an AK-47 assault rifle. The second figure didn't look quite as hardened and carried a tray of food, which he rather hurriedly set down in near the entrance.

Far more interesting, though, was the girl. Stunning and looking like she was about seventeen, it was hard to imagine her seeming more out of place. Luscious, waist-length brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and dark hazel eyes rested on Holly. Her good looks and slim frame would have made her seem more like a model than anyone dangerous were it not for the twin swords crossed on her back and the skin-tight black jumpsuit that covered her body, bristling with knives, grenades and other combat related utility. Her face wore a sort of disinterested look of contempt that still somehow managed to look highly attractive.

After putting down the tray, and second person made to leave.

"Wait!" exclaimed Holly with all the strength she could muster, desperate to try and gather some kind of information about her situation that might be useful later when attempting an escape or being rescued (at least she hoped that was on the cards).

The man paused, unsure, looking to the girl for guidance. _She is a superior to these men,_ Holly realized with a jolt.

" _Nyet_. Mikhail, get out. We do not speak with _the_ _package_ ," said the strange girl in Russia, her features twisting into a sneer. Her expression made it clear she considered to be far superior to anyone in her current company. Holly guessed that she considered herself to be superior to more or less everyone.

* * *

It was about mid-day by the time Artemis and Butler arrived at the hospital. Of course, they had no interest in the hospital itself, rather the morgue below it that Artemis had discovered contained the body he sought.

They had woken up about an hour ago, Artemis had put the finishing touches on his plan and they had set off in one the Fowl Family's less assuming cars. The plan wasn't a complicated one – this random hospital on the outskirts of Dublin was hardly Koboi Labs when it came to security.

Butler eyed Artemis as the boy strode purposefully up to the receptionist. It was ridiculous really, there weren't even any security guards in the foyer. Just one receptionist; all Artemis had to do was distract her so Butler could access one of the security cameras. And Butler knew that Artemis could be very distracting when he wanted to be. He didn't envy the receptionist.

Doing his best to ignore the slowly increasing volume of the conversation – if it could even be called that, Butler was fairly sure to qualify as a conversation the other person would have to actually be able to respond – the giant manservant sauntered up to one the CCTV cameras and gave it a little wave. He ducked out of its line of sight and wrapped an unassuming cable around the bundle of wires flowing from the unit. Even though he hadn't been there, he knew that Artemis had used these video cables at the Spiro Needle to give Foaly access to the entire security network.

Once he had been rejoined by his bodyguard, Artemis switched from berating the poor girl in reception to asking for the room number of a particular patient. He claimed the patient in question was an uncle, but in reality he had just chosen one at random when he hacked into the database. All too keen to get rid of the merciless teen that bore an uncomfortable resemblance to a vampire, the receptionist pointed them to the elevator and offered directions on how to get to the specified room.

Smirking, Artemis headed to the lift. This was child's play. Once inside, he drew his laptop and accessed the security network. He worked quickly to erase his and Butler's presence from the logs and directed the lift to the basement (not that there would be a record of this particular action, he made sure of that). Next, he recorded a short section of film from the cameras in the morgue and set it to replay continuously. They were now undetectable by anything short of being physically seen.

Naturally the morgue was locked, and the only key would be found in the security office. Even Artemis would have had an extraordinarily difficult time retrieving it undetected. Lucky, then, that he didn't need to. Taking from his bag a fairy omnitool that he had once "borrowed" from Holly (not that she was aware of it), he had access in seconds.

He remembered Mulch's voice: _That my boy, is talent._ Whether through unique bodily traits or technology, the fairies certainly didn't have a very difficult time with basic Mud Man locks.

 _Focus,_ he told himself. _Reminiscing won't save Holly._ Concentrating instead on the task at hand, Artemis quickly found the body. He had hacked into the local police department records to establish the identity of the young girl, discovered beaten to death and almost naked. He hadn't really needed to, but it had felt important to know her name.

Abigail. It was nice name.

He pulled the tray out to reveal the body. She seemed almost peaceful, lying there with her eyes closed. Or she would have done were it not for the mess of cuts and bruises that covered her form. They had been cleaned, true, but that almost made it seem worse. Clinical.

Abigail. Sweet and innocent.

Artemis tore his eyes away from the corpse and began hunting for a trolley. Butler found one first.

Abigail. Dead and broken.

It was one of the most troubling things he had ever seen, Artemis reflected as he loaded the body onto the trolley. He had seen his fair share of tragedy, and he had been involved many a horrifying situation. But this, more than anything else, felt _real._ Someone had done this. For the first time, he wasn't trying to save the world. He wasn't trying to gain anything. He wasn't only trying to save his friend; he was going to bring the person responsible for this atrocity to account. _There will be justice for this,_ he vowed.

Artemis shook his head to clear it. He had to focus – the most dangerous part of the operation was yet to come.

Once he was inside the lift along with Butler and the trolley (the body had been covered and the shape disguised), Artemis again took out his laptop. After making sure that the foyer was clear apart from the receptionist, he synthesized an alert that would require the receptionist in question to consult her boss in the next room.

Having watched her leave on the hijacked cameras, they exited the lift. It was like this that Butler and Artemis were able to simply walk out of a hospital, in broad daylight, with a dead body.

As soon as they were safely back in the car, Artemis tapped a few keys on his laptop. Anyone paying especially close attention to the cameras in the hospital would have seen a small cable disintegrate, leaving no evidence it had ever been there at all. When reviewed later, footage from the morgue showed absolutely nothing out of the ordinary, until one of the corpses simply disappeared. One frame it was there, the next it was gone.

* * *

 **Police Plaza, Haven City, The Lower Elements**

Foaly rubbed his hands together and attached twin suction cups to the eyes of the mutilated corpse.

"What's the verdict?" asked Trouble, fidgeting impatiently.

Foaly waved dismissively. "Patience, Trouble," he admonished. "Lots to do still. I need to match the retina's engravings to any humans or fairies – it might take some time."

"What have I said about using my first name?" growled the commander. "And you better hurry it up, pony boy – this is Holly's life were talking about here."

Foaly was unfazed. Sure, he was worried about Holly, but the equipment could only work so fast, and what better way to pass the time than annoying the commander?

"No can do, Trubs," he replied nonchalantly, pausing to toss a carrot up in the air and catch it in his mouth. "Still, it sure is lucky you just happened to find this really useful body lying around outside Tara, isn't it? What a great coincidence!"

Trouble's face took on a shade of purple that would have made his predecessor proud. "Trubs? Actually never mind. There was me thinking you were useful, Foaly. No matter, I can always _review_ your budget, eh?" He smiled nastily and Foaly was oddly reminded of one Artemis Fowl. Or a shark.

"No need for hostility," he muttered, his words obscured by carrot.

"Just get. This. Done. I want to be informed the _instant_ you have something."

And with that, Trouble left Foaly to his thoughts.

After about fifteen minutes Foaly's console gave a soft beep, indicating it had completed its allocated task.

"Right," murmured the centaur. Now the system had registered and cached all the eye's images and formed an image database of all known humans and fairies, he could start manually scanning for a match. It would be slow work, but it was the only option. Foaly tapped a few keys on his v-board and the console responded with a low hum.

"Scan for matches with all known fairies and fairy technology," he said, enunciating clearly.

 _No matches,_ read the text on the screen.

That would certainly make things harder, since now he had to try establish a killer from the many humans the girl had inevitably seen in her life. Still, Foaly was hardly one to shy away from a challenge.

"Scan for matches with all known humans."

Exactly as one would expect, several hundred names flashed up on the screen.

"Exclude matches with direct relation to subject Abigail Ryan. Exclude matches aged under eighteen. Prioritize matches with known criminal record."

Of course it was possible that he had just excluded the murderer, and if he found nothing suspicious he would have to return to the full list and trawl through it more carefully. Regardless, it was a reasonable starting point. Unfortunately, there were still a large number of names. Foaly glanced at the prioritized list, but it was mostly just people with small infractions like driving under the influence or a minor case of assault.

"Prioritize matches with a history of kidnapping?"

 _No matches prioritized._

 _D'Arvit._ That would have been far too easy. Perhaps he should try a different approach. After about a minute of tapping away furiously at his v-board, Foaly had compiled a list of human organized crime groups. It was a long shot, but where was the harm in trying?

"Exclude matches that have no known connection to groups listed on this document," he said, reaching out a finger to drag and drop the file into the Retimager program.

Two names flashed up. Oleksandr Orlov, a Ukrainian criminal, and Ivan Navolska, an ex-KGB assassin from Russia with a history of extreme violence. Foaly tapped the names excitedly to bring up their known associates. Both were revealed to be part of a small Ukrainian crime syndicate believed to be under the command of an ex-Mafiya Russian called Vladimir Petrenko. Just reading some of the accusations that been levelled against him made Foaly shiver; none of this had stuck, of course. Money and connections could get you out of pretty much anything in Russia and the CIS region. With a little more investigating Foaly discovered that both Orlov and Navolska had recently visited Ireland.

Somehow he doubted it was all a coincidence.

* * *

 **Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Artemis Fowl was not in a good mood. He had enjoyed the sense of purpose that he had had while stealing back the body, but now he was stuck with nothing to do and no information. He wanted desperately to be able to do something – anything – to help Holly, but what could he do? His only lead was deep underground with Foaly. He had never abandoned Holly, no matter how bad the situation, and she had never abandoned him. It felt oddly like a betrayal just sitting around twiddling his thumbs.

Fortunately for him (and for the elf in question) he was saved from his predicament by Foaly's face appearing on his laptop screen.

"Honestly Mud Boy, you really need to step up your game. Barely look five minutes to bypass your laptop's security," he announced smugly.

"What happened to being ordered not to consort with me, a possible _suspect_?"

"Who cares? I'm hardly expendable. And if they do fire me I'll just go work for section eight again. Holly's life is the priority here, and you can help with that. Don't get a swollen head, but we both know it's the truth," he added upon seeing Artemis's self-satisfied expression.

"What exactly _can_ I do to help?"

Foaly smiled. "I've got them. The kidnappers I mean."

Artemis's eyes lit up as the files detailing Foaly's findings arrived on his computer. "This is good… very good," he murmured. "But we still don't have a location for Holly."

Foaly sighed. "Nothing's ever enough for you is it? I'm not even supposed to be talking to you! Trouble needs me doing other things down here, so basically I'm relying on you to find Holly. I traced them to Ukraine, surely you can do the rest. Do that and we can get her back. I promise."

Naturally there was no way Artemis was going to _decline_ to help, but that didn't mean he couldn't milk an opportunity when it presented itself.

"Is that the sound of the LEP admitting they need my help? In fact, admitting that I'm the _only_ person who can solve their problem? A problem that to which not even the great Foaly could find an adequate solution?"

Foaly whinnied. "You're pushing your luck Mud Whelp. Yes, we need you. And that's all you're going to get. So step on it."

The centaur simply disappeared from the screen before Artemis could reply. Slightly miffed, the boy set to work. As had become rather common since Holly's disappearance, he had had very little sleep, but he reckoned it would be enough. For now.

Foaly had tracked the group to Ukraine, more specifically to its capital Kiev, but that was still extraordinarily vague. They didn't even know if they had taken Holly back to Ukraine with them – they could be in Australia for all he knew. He shuddered and hoped not – it was high summer down under and Artemis doubted all that sun would suit him. Not that he was ecstatic about attempting a rescue in the bitter Ukrainian winter either.

Even though it was by no means a certainty, Artemis decided that for now at least he would work on the assumption that Holly and her captors were in Northern Ukraine, probably near Kiev. Surely it made at least a little sense to take your prisoner back to the land you knew? _That's what I would do,_ he thought. _In fact, that's exactly what I_ did. _Fowl Manor was my territory and that's a large part of how I beat the LEP._

He plotted properties belonging to prominent members of the gang on a digital map and studied it, wondering if any of them made sense as locations for hiding a hostage. But as he stared, he gaze was inexplicably drawn upwards, North of Kiev, towards the border with Belarus. Or more specifically, what was nestled in just below it. An idea began to form in his mind.

If he assumed that the group was either well-informed about fairies or being organized by someone who was – for his part, Artemis strongly suspected that another fairy was masterminding the whole operation – then it stood to reason that they would have an understanding of the fairies' basic strengths and weaknesses. And judging by how well they had executed the abduction and been able to defeat Foaly's technology, this was probably a reasonable assumption to make. Artemis dredged up a memory from several years ago, as he sat in an LEP interrogation room.

 _Root frowned. "Northern Russia is not good for us. We can't shield because of the radiation."_

He remembered Holly wasting no time telling him how much fairies hate the cold after she had pulled his father his father out of the Arctic Ocean.

If you wanted to make a fairy rescue as difficult as possible, where better to hide than the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in the depths of winter? The radiation had sufficiently dissipated since the nuclear meltdown that humans could visit most areas, not that winter was a popular tourist season – even though snow was a radioactive insulator so it would technically be safer, no-one really wanted to go on holiday somewhere that was bitingly cold. Fairies couldn't shield and it would be so isolated that any kind of stealth rescue would be more or less impossible to organize. If Holly was there, they would have to fight their way through a gang of well-armed, hardened criminals to get to her.

The more Artemis contemplated the possibility, the more he was sure he was right. Sure, he had no actual evidence, but that could be rectified easily enough.

All in all, it took a little under half-an-hour to hijack Foaly's "Scopes" and maneuver a satellite to study the area. He also "commandeered" a US surveillance drone that was near the area so he would be able to get high-resolution images of a particularly suspicious building or site. Having once again consulted his map, he had reached the conclusion that the long-abandoned town of Pripyat was the most likely place for the gang to hide and so he began his search there.

It didn't take long to hit the jack-pot. Like the rest of the buildings in Pripyat, the "Energetik" or "Palace of Culture" had long-since fallen into disrepair. Once a leisure center and no doubt buzzing with happy residents, it was now dilapidated and forsaken, strewn with debris and falling apart. Unlike the rest of the buildings in Pripyat, it was a hive of activity. Several trucks were parked outside containing building supplies and munitions and what looked like guards were visible outside.

Once his drone was in position to do a fly by, Artemis was able to use the it's zoom capabilities to make things out more clearly. Multiple people stood guard or patrolled the area, automatic rifles slung over their shoulders and Artemis was sure he could see movement inside through windows or holes in the walls. Zooming in further still, he even managed to identify one of the men outside as Ivan Navolska, according to Foaly one of those responsible for murdering the young girl back in Ireland.

Artemis smiled a vicious, vampiric smile. They were never going to be able to hide from him forever.

"We're coming, ready or not."

 **A/N: For anyone who doesn't know, during the Soviet era the USSR built several nuclear reactors in their occupied and satellite countries, one of which was in Chernobyl. In 1986 it had a meltdown, flooding the area with radiation. Pripyat is a real ghost town, and it's actually creepy as all hell. Sorry for history lesson xD. As you probably guessed, a lot of the action will take place here - hence the title of the story (decay referring to radioactive decay).**

 **Since the plot is really starting to get underway, I would really appreciate some feedback! As usual, many thanks go to those have reviewed already.**


	5. Beaten

**A/N: Sorry this is a bit late, it took me ages to get this to a point where I was happy with it.**

 **Chapter 5;**

Pripyat, Ukraine

A few minutes previously, Holly had made the executive decision to trust the food she had been given. She reasoned that if they had wanted her dead, they would have had ample opportunities to kill her already. And then there the fact that the strange Russian girl had referred to her as "the package". Holly wasn't sure what that meant, but it rather implied they wanted her for something. Whatever the case, she wouldn't do herself any favours by starving herself.

And so she had started to eat the food – a platter of various fruit and vegetables. It wasn't bad, all things considered, even though the bitter taste of the Mud Men's poisons was unmistakeable.

She was, however, interrupted, before she could eat more than a few mouthfuls. The jangle of keys rang out and the heavy door swung open.

Exactly as before, the first thing she saw was the same tattooed man aiming a gun at her. The girl was there too, and a man she didn't recognize.

It was this man who spoke.

"Greetings. My name is Vladimir Petrenko," he began. He spoke English, but his accent was think and Russian. "I trust you are not too uncomfortable, _da_?"

Holly glared at him and he laughed. The girl hovered at his shoulder, saying nothing but giving Holly a curious look.

"Calm yourself fairy," the man called Petrenko said. "You have no magic, and so are of no threat to me. No doubt you are hoping your LEP friends will come and help you, or perhaps your human friend? Artemis Fowl, I believe. Apparently he once kidnapped you! And to think, now you two are _friends._ Such a sweet case of Stockholm syndrome. Your life was worth a ton of gold to him. No more, no less. Tell me, do you think that value has increased ten-fold since then?"

Holly, who had absolutely no idea what the man was talking about, was struggling to control her expression. This display of knowledge was, quite simply, terrifying. But she was determined not to let it show.

"Yes, I know all about little Arty. I'm expecting him to try and find you. I've set a few little traps; how long do you think it will take him to die?" The statement wasn't strictly true, but was nevertheless accompanied by a viciously sadistic smile. "Let me introduce my… _friend_ -" he indicated the girl "-Natalya. She can be very… persuasive."

Holly was uncomfortably aware that she was rapidly losing any control of the situation she may have thought she had. A large part of her wanted to scream and call Petrenko every name under the sun, but she doubted that would help her very much – in fact it would probably amuse him. She decided to stay silent.

"Now, I have some important questions I'd like you to answer about the LEP. Make no mistake, you _will_ co-operate eventually. So are you going to do yourself a favour and skip the hard part?"

Holly's expression of defiance was all the answer he needed. He sighed.

"Oleksandr, hurt her."

The room's third occupant shouldered his rifle and moved towards Holly. She tensed. The fist that collided with her face hurt. A lot. A few moments later her fingers had been crushed under a heavy boot and her stomach had absorbed several hard blows. She curled up into a ball and did her best to ignore the pain. She failed.

The man standing over her now took his rifle and placed the end of the barrel on her kneecap. His face was expressionless and betrayed no hint of remorse.

Pure, animal fear took control of the elf. She knew what bullets did to fairies. It wasn't pretty. She shook her head desperately, whimpering slightly, becoming horribly aware that these people could do literally anything to her, and there was nothing she could do about it.

They would hurt her.

They would break her.

"Not yet." It was Petrenko who had spoken. He wore a triumphant expression as he looked at the elf's pitiful form, curled up and sobbing gently. "But we'll be back. And unless you want to starve to death… I think you'll be tasting meat."

He laughed with savage malice and the three humans left their victim to her thoughts.

* * *

 **Fowl Manor, Ireland**

"Foaly."

The centaur's face on Artemis's laptop didn't look good. He didn't respond.

" _Foaly."_

"Oh yeah, sorry what?"

Artemis sighed. "Concentrate, Foaly. I've found them – they're in Northern Ukraine, in Pripyat. We can mount a rescue immediately."

Foaly appeared to momentarily light up, but then his features resumed their look of defeat. It was out of place seeing the centaur, normally so confident, this exhausted.

"Artemis…" Foaly didn't seem to know exactly what to say. One hand absently twisted the corner if his tin foil hat.

"Spit it out," demanded the human boy, growing increasingly frustrated.

"We got another message," Foaly blurted. "They want the gold. In twelve hours, at a site near Hamburg."

Artemis looked confused. "That makes no sense – that's too far from their current location to be practical. Are you sure you didn't misinterpret the message?"

"Misinterpret the message? You're joking, right Mud Boy?" replied the centaur indignantly, seeming to have regained some of his normal character. "I can _read_ you know. What did you think happened, it said Ukraine and I accidently read Germany? Are you insane? And I might ask you whether you _misinterpreted_ the location! How can you be sure they are there?"

"My apologies. I am, however, about ninety-five percent sure with regard to the group's location. I have evidence of several members of the group – including one of the people you said killed the girl – in a site in Pripyat. The location makes perfect sense for obvious reasons. It's technically possible that it could be a ruse, but considering how obscure the trail we followed to get there was, I highly doubt that it is."

"I suppose we can agree there, Mud Boy," admitted Foaly, although somewhat grudgingly it must be said. "I've been meaning to ask you, doesn't this all seem a bit too well done? Last time we tried to rescue Holly, you were a step ahead every time. This random group of _humans_ completely beats my system, captures one of our best officers and know that radiation and cold are an effective way to counter the LEP; and we knew nothing about them?"

"Indeed. I strongly suspect a fairy to be involved, probably orchestrating the entire series of events."

"Koboi?" asked Foaly, half-joking, half-terrified.

Artemis cocked his head and thought for a moment. "I don't think so. It doesn't feel like her style. I can certainly see her targeting Holly in the name of revenge, but I would expect some kind overly grand scheme to make us suffer at the same time. She wouldn't demand gold. It's not melodramatic enough."

"You're probably right," said Foaly, looking a little relieved. "If not her though, who?"

"Does it matter right now? We need to get Holly back. Everything else is secondary." Artemis face was set in stone, his tone hard and determined.

Foaly, on the other hand, looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"There's no easy way to say this Artemis. The council isn't very interested in getting Holly back. Trouble's speaking with them now but… now we know where she is, we'll most likely be ordered to bio-bomb the whole place. It's what they wanted to do at Fowl Manor – only Root managed to convince them otherwise. And that didn't exactly turn out well. All they care about is "containing the situation"."

Artemis, looking appropriately horrified, opened his mouth to respond. And then closed it.

When he finally spoke, his words were barely audible and his voice was one of despair. "They… they can't."

It wasn't exactly hard for Foaly to empathise – after all, Holly was his friend too and his reaction had been more or less the same when Trouble had told him the situation.

He was about to try and say something supportive ( _comfort Artemis Fowl? What is wrong with me?)_ but was interrupted by a very tired looking Commander Kelp.

"Fowl."

Artemis felt a rather uncharacteristic wave of apprehension roll over him before he responded.

"Yes, commander?"

"You have them?"

"…Yes." He had contemplated lying, but Foaly already knew and would likely expose the deception. Besides, Trouble was a good friend to Holly; Artemis was confident the Commander would do all in his power to help his missing Captain.

"Council's going to bio-bomb her. They won't budge. Vinyáya threw a fit, but it didn't matter. They've got everything set up. Fowl… D'Arvit, this may be the biggest mistake of my life, but if I trust anyone to save Holly, it's you. I'm giving you a retrieval team and a strike team. I can stall the council for a while, maybe even a day if I'm lucky. They don't know we have the location yet but they know we had leads and they'll quickly get suspicious. I can tell them the teams I'm sending you are part of the search for her, and for the containment operation after the bio-bomb."

Artemis was slightly overwhelmed by this display of trust, but eventually found his voice.

"I, err, thank you Commander."

"Don't you _dare_ make me regret this Fowl. And don't you _dare_ get Holly killed."

The boy decided it would probably not be a good idea to point out that it was the fairies who were planning to get Holly killed, while he was the one trying to save her.

"Of course, sir." _Sir?_ Sir? _When was last time he had called someone sir without it being sarcastic? Then again, even though he was deep underground, Trouble Kelp did look rather intimidating at present…_

"Where should I send my men?"

"Ukraine. I've already sent Foaly the details. And have someone pick me up with some hover trollies."

Looking more exhausted than Artemis had ever seen him, Trouble nodded once and got up to depart, leaving Foaly and Artemis.

"Well, good luck Mud Boy," said the centaur, about to end the call.

"Foaly…" Artemis's voice was soft. "When we spoke before, and you said you were busy…"

Foaly shifted uncomfortably.

"What exactly did Trouble have you doing that was so important?"

"You know exactly what they made me do. Don't ask me about it." There was more than a little venom in the centaur's tone.

Artemis sighed as Foaly's image disappeared from his screen. It was true, he did know. And he wasn't happy about what it might mean for Holly.

* * *

 **Pripyat, Ukraine**

Holly was hungry. And tired. And, most of all, in pain. A lot of pain. Despite this, she was feeling a lot more determined than she had been before. When her tormentors had left many hours ago, the one called Oleksandr had taken her food. She had vowed to herself that she would die before eating meat, but now that the hunger was beginning to set in she wasn't so sure. All she had had to eat in what she assumed was at least three days was a few mouthfuls of salad, and in that time she had been forced to undertake a major healing. The constant drain placed ion her by the radiation wasn't helping either.

All of this was made so much worse by the smell of freshly cooked meat that suddenly made its way into the cell. Holly wanted to throw up when she realised her mouth was watering.

Sure enough the door opened to reveal Oleksandr and the man who had brought her food before; this time, though, he was holding a tray of various meats. Holly didn't know what they were exactly, but it was clear that several different types of animals had been murdered to provide the meal. It was sickening.

The traumatized elf's gaze flitted between the rifle pointed at her and the charred flesh. The tray was set down and its deliverer gave Holly what she guessed was supposed to be an encouraging smile. He had probably mistaken her look of disgust for one of fear.

"No worry," he said in broken English. "Safe for eat."

Holly wasn't sure, but she thought the accent sounded Ukrainian. She decided to try responding in the man's mother tongue.

"I don't care if it's _safe._ Fairies don't eat meat. Ever. It appals us. This-" she gestured at the tray "-is Vlad's way of torturing me."

The man appeared genuinely sorry to hear this, but shrugged. "Sorry fairy, boss's orders."

Oleksandr didn't seem very happy to be bearing witness to discussion in Ukrainian. _Maybe he only speaks Russian and English,_ thought Holly.

"Fairy? I have a name you know," she replied, again in Ukrainian.

"Which is?"

"Holly."

The man smiled. "Mikhail," he muttered, and left.

Oleksandr shot his companion a very dirty look and closed the door.

For a moment, Holly was quite pleased. Perhaps there was someone here who wasn't quite so bad. But then she looked back at the pile of flesh that she was expected to _eat_ and gagged. She remembered the beating. She couldn't do this. She had to find a way out. But how?

She had noticed that none of her captors were wearing mirrored sunglasses, which meant that the _mesmer_ would be an effective weapon. She supposed it was possible they were using mirrored contact lenses like Artemis once had, but she doubted it. No, they believed her to be out of magic and so had not considered the _mesmer_ to be a threat – either that or they didn't know about it.

The problem was, she _was_ out of magic. There was no earth in sight and she doubted her new captors would be as forgiving as Artemis had been if she started trying to break the floor apart. They had more than demonstrated that they were not to be trifled with. Holly shuddered at the memory; the pain had been bad, but the humiliation was so much worse. She had cried; she would have begged if she hadn't been too scared to speak. _Anyway_ , she thought, pulling her mind back to the problem at hand. _I don't have an acorn, so the lack of earth is a somewhat moot point._

 _Although,_ she realised, _I know exactly where I can find one. But how could I get there?_

And then it dawned on her: she didn't need to. All she needed was an ally. She recalled reading something in a report about her last adventure with Artemis, and thus were sown the seeds of a plan. It wasn't a pretty one, and the cost would be great, but she decided she didn't really have much choice right now.

She started banging on the door. The noise was really quite impressive; it was no wonder that it didn't take long to get a response.

" _Cyka,_ what the hell are you doing? Don't make me start breaking things."

Holly cringed, knowing exactly what _things_ would be broken if she displeased her captors.

"I'm ready to talk."

* * *

 **Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Artemis was secretly quite impressed. All in all, it had only taken a smidgeon more than half an hour for the fairy escort to arrive at Fowl Manor. Naturally, there was no reason to _tell_ the fairies this – especially not when there were so much more pressing matters to attend to. He had asked his mother to take his Artemis Senior and the twins for a trip so he could tend to "fairy business". She had just barely to get clear before her son's supposedly mythical accomplices arrived.

"Fowl. I was rather hoping I wouldn't be forced to interact with you again," announced a recon officer that had just appeared out of thin air. It took Artemis a moment to recognise Major K'Azir from his return to the surface.

"I had thought the LEP would be professional enough to let their dislike of me take a back seat in light of the rather urgent circumstances we find ourselves in," came the human's predictably cutting response as he began to walk towards the recently unshielded shuttle. "Alas, I was mistaken."

"Forgive me, but when your mission is to rescue a colleague, it's hard not to be uncomfortable when you have to work with the person responsible for that colleague's kidnapping."

Artemis froze. He had so far been doing an excellent job of ignoring the reason Holly had been on the surface, and didn't appreciate being reminded of it. He turned slowly to look at K'Azir, his eyes, one blue and one hazel, devoid of any compassion.

"If I were you," he began, his voice barely above a whisper, "I wouldn't presume to speak of things about which I know nothing."

Before K'Azir could respond, several more LEP officers interjected.

"Where's the gold?"

With a last glare at the Major, Artemis set off to show them his newly acquired stash of gold and collect Butler.

* * *

 **Pripyat, Ukraine**

A forward operating base had already been established in the North Ukrainian countryside by the time Artemis's shuttle arrived. K'Azir, Butler, Artemis himself and a few others disembarked, surveying the hastily put together headquarters.

Before he had much of a chance to study it however, Artemis was interrupted by someone he didn't know. The elf in question was tall and bulky, clad all in black and heavily armed.

"Artemis Fowl. I understand that we are under your command." He stretched out a hand. "If Trouble trusts you, that's good enough for me. Captain Galadhon, strike team Storm."

Artemis didn't know a lot about the fairy strike team programme, other than it had been established while he had been away in Limbo. While a retrieval team was trained to retrieve something or someone, a strike team was trained to make sure nothing _could_ be retrieved. They were rarely deployed, and their missions didn't have survivors. Artemis was suddenly very grateful that they were on his side, and hadn't existed during the Fowl Manor siege.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Captain," he replied. "What is the situation?"

"Far from ideal. The group is holed up in the Energetik building, and they are heavily armed. We can't shield, and Foaly tells us he's sure that they will have a way of detecting a shielded shuttle. The group itself is very heavily armed – preliminary scans show at least twenty-five hostiles, all equipped with automatic rifles. We also believe there to be mounted machine guns and shoulder fired missiles."

"Guided?"

"We don't think so, but it's difficult to be sure."

"Butler, do you still have contacts in the Ukrainian army?"

"Affirmative."

"Very well. This is what we do…"

* * *

"So the silly little fairy has come to her senses."

Holly did her best not to growl – if this was going to work, she had to appear like she was co-operating. The infuriatingly smug expression that Petrenko wore as he spoke wasn't helping.

"I don't see the point in having my body destroyed, if that's what you mean," she said, by way of a response.

Petrenko shrugged. "The reasons don't matter. Only that you answer my questions."

"I'm hungry. And we both know I'm not eating _that_ ," she began, indicating the meat that lay untouched. "Get me something to eat."

Petrenko was unperturbed. "You can talk now, or I can come back later. Doesn't affect me." This wasn't strictly true, as his mistress was already growing frustrated with the lack of information he was providing. Still, the fairy didn't need to know that, did she?

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

"I want to know about the LEP. First, tell me what they do if, say, one of their officers is kidnapped."

Holly was initially confused – the man had claimed to know all about the Artemis Fowl affair, so surely he would know? – but then she guessed this was probably a test. That made her feel a little better about answering, but not much.

"Step one; stop time around the target area. Step two; send in a retrieval team to try and rescue the hostage. That wouldn't work here though, the radiation would mean they couldn't shield – that means turn invisible by the way. The next step would be to open negotiations, and if that failed they would launch a bio-bomb."

Petrenko seemed confused. "What's a bio-bomb? Some kind of biological weapon?"

"Not exactly. It's kind of like a fairy nuke. It wipes out all living matter in a set radius."

Holly had been doing her best not to think about this – she knew exactly how close she had come to being vaporised by her own side during the Fowl Manor siege. She was, however, very satisfied to see the look of worry that passed over Petrenko's face.

He asked her a few more questions about LEP policy and she answered, hating herself. She did her best to give away as little useful information as possible, but her plan would hardly work if she didn't give him anything interesting at all. She doubted whether what she had said would really cause any big problems, and she was certain that one way or another the LEP would hunt down and mind-wipe all of these humans, whether she survived or not. Unfortunately, that didn't stop her feeling like she was a traitor to her own kind.

"And what about the protocol for if humans discover and attack the People?"

It was all Holly could do to keep her mouth from dropping open. The man wanted to know how her kind would respond if the Mud Men declared war? There could only be one reason for that. So far she hadn't given too much away – but there was no way she could justify answering that.

In theory, it wasn't too much of a problem. Her plan had always been to offer some fairly superficial information and then give her demands. Now was as good a time as any to do just that; still, she found it hard to dispel the fear that was taking hold in her mind. If she misjudged this, she was fairly sure she knew what would happen. It wouldn't be pleasant.

Taking a steadying breath, she shook her head.

Petrenko looked displeased and opened his mouth – no doubt to issue some kind of threat – but Holly interrupted.

"You want me to co-operate? I am, and I will continue to. However," she tried to sound certain, pushing her worries to one side. Of course she had no intention of continuing to help these monsters, but a little lying never hurt anyone. " _If_ you want this to be productive, it has to go both ways. Get me a proper meal, and something proper to sleep on. I'll answer anything you want after I've eaten and rested."

She had issued her challenge – all she could do now was hope that the Russian took the bait.

Vladimir regarded her coldly for what seemed like an eternity, contemplating his options.

"Very well," he announced finally, turning to his subordinates. "Ivan – get her something comfortable to lie on. Mikhail – get her some fruit or something."

He returned his gaze to Holly, about to say something to her, but instead was shocked to see her shaking her head. What the hell was her problem? His mistress had made it clear that while fairies were disgusted by meat, they would happily eat fruit and vegetables.

"No more of your toxin covered fruit," she said by way of an explanation. "I asked for a _proper_ meal."

"And what, pray tell, would you consider a _proper_ meal?" Petrenko responded, his tone low and dangerous.

Holly swallowed. Now or never. "Mandrake root and rice wine. It's a fairy delicacy."

Vladimir's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Don't play games with me, fairy," he said, spitting the last word venomously.

Holly shrugged, desperate to appear casual. "Those are my terms. Take it or leave it."

Petrenko was torn. A large part of him was tempted to just punch the smug little bitch and see how fussy she was then. He could break her, that he was sure of, but how long would it take? Perhaps it would be better to play along, for now at least. And if the elf went back on her promise? Vladimir almost chuckled. Then he could have some _fun._

"OK, _fairy_ , I'll fix that for you," his voice was honeyed at first, but now turned hard. "Mark my words though, if you don't give me what I want when I get back, you'll be in so much pain that there won't be enough magic in the world to silence your screams."

 **A/N: I hope this didn't feel out of character (Trouble trusting Artemis, Artemis trusting the fairies with his gold and, above all, Holly talking). I think it makes sense in the context of the story - all those characters are intelligent, and their actions seem rather like the lesser of two evils. Hopefully you agree.**

 **With regards to the fairy strike team, although not canon, I feel like it's believable. After everything that's happened, it would make sense to have something more than just a retrieval team available in a disaster, and I think it's plausible that we wouldn't have come across them in the 6th and 7th books. My reason for inventing "Storm" was quite simply that Retrieval One sucked. In the 1st book we get a whole section on how badass they are, and they achieve literally nothing in any of the books. Even _Grub Kelp_ features in it, and that's pretty damning. Strike team Storm is very much like the fairy equivalent of the SAS or Navy SEALS, and (unlike retrieval) is actually badass and highly capable. With Butler in old age and Holly kidnapped, I needed _someone_ who could kick ass.**


	6. Enchanted

**A/N: This is a slightly less depressing chapter than some of the previous ones xD. Don't worry, I'll more than make up for it in the next one.**

 **Chapter 6;**

 **LEP Forward Operating Base, Northern Ukraine**

Butler worried as he explored the area. The soldier in him marveled at what the fairies had managed to establish in only a few hours: a camp of sorts was nestled into the cover of a copse of trees in a small valley. Tents made of some kind of tough, ultra-light polymer bristled with a variety of high-tech looking equipment and the sensors littering the ground and trees left Butler in no doubt that any approaching humans would be detected and dealt with long before they posed any kind of threat. Nevertheless, this voice of admiration was drowned out by an anxiety he couldn't ignore.

The entire purpose of his life had been to protect Artemis Fowl for almost as long as he could remember. The boy had made this task fantastically difficult on a number of occasions, but even then, he had had one goal. One objective. Everything was secondary to Artemis's safety, and so he had always strongly advised his charge against any form of action that might put him in harm's way. Now, he wasn't so sure. If it was his decision, would he stop Artemis from rescuing Holly?

 _I suppose in some ways, saving Holly also saves Artemis. I'm not sure if he'll recover if something happens to her. Especially since she was abducted while on her way to visit him. He'll never forgive himself._ Butler remembered Artemis's guilt in the throes of his Atlantis Complex – at times it had seemed as though he was capable of blaming himself for anything. _The last thing he needs is to add his best friend's death to his new-found conscience._

Best friend?That title had once belonged to Butler himself, but now he guessed that it applied better to the fiery elf than it did to him. He was an old man, that much he knew, and Holly had been there for Artemis when his bodyguard hadn't. Presumably somewhere throughout their time in Limbo, when Butler had been grieving, or their jaunt into the past to rescue JayJay, the pair had grown incredibly close. After all, it had been him, not Holly, that had been sent away to Mexico on a fabrication. Butler shook his head to clear the memory. Thoughts like those weren't going to help anyone. He had a job to do.

The giant manservant arrived at his destination, at what was serving as an armory in the hastily put together encampment. He had decided to "borrow" some equipment. Upon hearing Butler's footfalls, the LEP lackey on guard duty looked up and opened his mouth to issue a warning, but seemed to think better of it once he had acquainted himself with the human's enormous bulk.

Naturally, anything wearable would be completely the wrong size for Butler, and no pairs of wings would have a chance at lifting him. Instead he stopped at a rack of pulse rifles, eventually lifting the largest one he could find to his shoulder. The lack of weight was counter-intuitive to say the least, but the advanced targeting system and laser sight was beyond anything he had ever seen. He motioned to the LEP lackey.

"What can this do?"

The question was followed an uncomfortable silence while the tiny pixie worked up the courage to respond.

"B-b-big Mud Man," he stammered.

"Yes," replied the bodyguard, giving a smile that showed his teeth. "Big Mud Man asked you a question."

There was another pause as the terrified pixie tried to remember what the question was.

"It, err, well, it shoots lasers," he squeaked helpfully.

Butler raised an eyebrow. "Very technical."

"It has four settings; incendiary mode fires an explosive charge, wide-bore fires a weaker but wider laser to knock out multiple hostiles, concentrated mode shoots a fine laser that can cut through just about anything and standard is, well, standard. Every mode has configurable strength. Nuclear battery should last a few thousand years."

Butler smiled appreciatively as the lackey hurriedly listed every technical detail he could remember. "I'll take it."

The pixie paled, presumably at odds with the idea of handing out LEP weaponry to a human. Still, his inner turmoil didn't last and before he knew it he was issuing the weapon the command to accept Butler's DNA, making the bodyguard the rifle's master.

Satisfied, Butler moved on to surveying the available utility. Once upon a time, Artemis had fashioned his bodyguard a pair of glasses fitted with anti-shield filters cannibalized from an LEP helmet, but the pair had had all of their ill-gotten fairy technology confiscated at the same time as their memories.

 _Perhaps the Artemis can do something similar again_ , he mused, grabbing a helmet and a pair of fairy communicators before making his way back outside. It didn't take long to locate his charge, who was currently engaged in an increasingly heated discussion with Trouble Kelp.

"I hear you have a plan Fowl. This better be good."

Artemis sighed. The Commander could be so tiresome sometimes; when had the great Artemis Fowl's plans ever been anything but good?

"Naturally. It's simple, but I see no reason why it shouldn't work. It seems more or less certain that Holly is here in Pripyat, but even on the off-chance that she isn't, I doubt there will be a problem. I have nine-and-a-half tons of gold with me here, I believe the remaining half ton is with you, yes?"

"It is." Trouble still seemed suspicious about offering Artemis fairy gold. "And with me is where it will stay."

"That won't complicate things too much. I intend to remain here in Ukraine, I will send Retrieval One to Hamburg with my gold where they can rendezvous with you, and then wait near the drop point."

"Hang on just a minute there, Fowl," said the Commander. "I thought Foaly said this group can detect shielded shuttles – we'd be sitting ducks."

Artemis sighed again. Everything would be so much faster if other people just accepted that he always knew best instead of feeling the need to question him.

"I would have hoped you would be able to understand the difference between defending a building and being furnished with the necessary technology to detect incoming interlopers, and successfully locating a shielded shuttle in a large area. I'm not suggesting you knock on the door, just wait fifty miles away until it's almost time."

"Look, whoever these people are, they've been one step ahead of us this whole time. Perhaps it's unlikely, but you can't deny there is a risk of them finding us. What happens then?"

"Good question. What exactly do you suppose would happen then?" Artemis challenged. "Are a whole bunch of Mud Men going to sneak up on you and then beat you in a fire-fight? Don't forget that it's not radioactive over there – you _can_ shield."

Trouble looked like he was about to respond, but Artemis cut him off.

"Commander, listen. I won't ask you to do anything you feel is unnecessarily dangerous. But I want to know – do you honestly believe that your troops or the gold would be facing a legitimate threat?"

Trouble looked deeply uncomfortable. "Well, they are just humans so maybe not a very serious threat, but… that's not the point Fowl. I don't like you giving orders, putting other people in the potential line of fire."

Artemis laughed softly, and his demeanor changed. He suddenly seemed older, and spoke with more maturity than anyone who knew him would have credited him with.

"It's not about us. You and I, it was never going to be about us. In any other circumstances, there would be no justification for me running an LEP operation, no matter how off the record it was. But you and I both know that today I can justify it with one word. Holly."

It took a while, but the anger slowly faded from Trouble's eyes. Artemis waited patiently as the elf's features adopted a new determination.

"Very well. What is your plan?"

Artemis kept his face impassive, but allowed himself a moment to smile internally. It was getting too easy to convince the LEP to follow his lead.

"Essentially there are two scenarios. The first and most preferable one is as follows: when the deadline begins to approach, the hostage is transferred to the drop point. Since they don't seem to realize we know where they are holding the aforementioned hostage, it should be relatively easy to track their movement and establish an ambush en route.

"Alternatively, if we are unable to safely extract Holly before the meet or if somehow we were wrong about the location, then we must utilize Plan B. We allow the transfer to take place as expected and simply take back the gold afterwards. I have already had mine sprayed with Solinium tracker, I trust the you have done the same?"

"Of course."

"Well then it would be simple to follow the trail and retrieve what is ours, mind-wiping anyone along the way."

Trouble took his time considering the Mud Boy's proposal. It seemed straightforward enough, and the Commander didn't see any obvious flaws in it. It would be difficult to locate him team in Germany unless they actually had to complete the exchange, and more or less impossible to actually mount some kind of offensive against them. It was technically possible to eradicate the Solinium tracker that the LEP used, but it was very unlikely that the group would know how or even that it was there. Nevertheless, this was Artemis Fowl, and you could never be sure that there were no ulterior motives in play.

 _The real question is not whether I trust him, because obviously I don't,_ he reflected. _It's whether I trust that he genuinely cares for Holly. And I think he does._

"Alright, Mud Boy," he said finally. "We'll do it your way. I'll find something to tell the council, and I'll talk to the retrieval commander and get it organized."

The Commander paused, unable to resist the opportunity to get in a final dig at his least favorite human. "I must admit I'm surprised – you're going to trust me with your gold? Isn't that pretty much against everything you stand for? And nine-and-a-half tons must have cost most of your family fortune that you worked so hard for!"

A slightly pained look flitted across Artemis's face. "I can't really explain what's come over me, but I trust you to do right by Holly. And if you steal it after we save her, well, there'll be a hell of a reckoning, but I can honestly say I would gladly give all this gold to see safely returned to her people."

Trouble nodded, once, and ended the call. There was work to be done.

* * *

 **Police Plaza, Haven City, The Lower Elements**

Something was bothering Foaly. He couldn't quite put his finger on what, but there seemed to be something _odd_ about what was happening.

 _Of course there's something bothering you – your friend has been kidnapped. And of course it seems odd – it_ is _odd! It's hardly every day a Mud Person that isn't Artemis Fowl beats your system,_ he told himself. But there was there was still a feeling he couldn't shake that they were somehow underestimating their opponents.

What was it Artemis had said? _I strongly suspect a fairy to be involved, possibly orchestrating events,_ the centaur recalled. If the Mud Boy was right (and, not that Foaly would ever tell him, he usually was) and there _was_ a fairy involved, that could change the entire equation.

Naturally Trouble had briefed his top technical consultant on Artemis's plan, and Foaly had had to admit it was a decent one. He could see no way for humans to foil it. But if they were dealing with a fairy, and an intelligent one at that if it was the fairy who had been responsible for the hacking of Foaly's system, then there was a distinct possibility that they were being played.

Their ace in the hole was knowledge of Holly's location – if that information was indeed accurate – but if for whatever reason they couldn't extract Holly en route then Foaly had a horrible feeling that they would end up playing into the hands of whoever was pulling the strings. The centaur had already once believed he held the upper hand against a human holding Holly Short prisoner, and he still regretted it to this day. It wasn't a mistake he was keen to make twice.

Then there was the discrepancy in locations – if Holly was in Pripyat, why organize the exchange in Hamburg? Something definitely didn't add up, but Foaly was damned if he could figure the situation out.

Even so, what choice did he have? It wasn't as if he had any better ideas, and it was imperative that they rescue Holly before the council found out they knew where she was.

* * *

 **Pripyat, Ukraine**

It took a whole three hours for Vladimir's lackeys to procure what Holly had asked for, not that she had any way of measuring the time. All she knew was that she had spent far too long with nothing to do other than become progressively more anxious. It didn't help that the radiation was bothering her more every minute, invisible needles drilling through her skin. If her plan worked, it would take all her restraint to stop her spark from targeting any of her various injuries or diminishing her growing radiation sickness.

Mikhail was the person who had been given the task of delivering her meal. Holly was grateful for this, since it likely meant minimal confrontation. As always he was accompanied by Oleksandr, who kept a watchful eye on both his prisoner and his comrade.

Mikhail flashed Holly a quick smile as he set the food and drink down on the hard floor, but said nothing. No doubt words had been had with him about conversing with "the package".

Holly expected them to leave, but much to her delight Oleksandr remained.

"The Boss is away on business for a short while," he explained, a nasty smile forming on his lips. "But while he's away, he wants you under constant surveillance. There'll be no magic tricks today."

He laughed at his own joke, poor as it was. Mikhail shut the door, leaving the two alone. Holly did her best to look frightened, while cheering internally. Now she was alone with one of her guards – one that seemed reasonably well-trusted as well; this was as good an opportunity as she was going to get.

As one might expect, the bulky Russian believed there to be nothing to fear. He simply lounged in the opposite corner to Holly and leveled his rifle at her. There was a good five meters between them – how was she going to cover that distance before he had a chance to shoot her? And even if she did, Oleksandr sincerely doubted the diminutive elf would be able to overpower him.

Holly on the other hand busied herself tucking into her newly acquired meal. Mandrake root was about as far from the "fairy delicacy" she had made it out to be as you could get, but she wasn't complaining. Hunger tended to have that effect on people. While eating, she did her best not to contemplate the possibility that her plan would fail.

Naturally the LEP had conducted a thorough investigation into Turnball's escape, and realized that he had controlled several of the prison officials with a thrall. It was initially unclear how he had obtained the spark of magic necessary to activate a rune, but the investigators had eventually reached the conclusion that his requested meals of mandrake root and rice wine had furnished him with traces of magic. They weren't certain about that though, and Holly had absolutely no idea whether the same practice would restore power to someone who had simply run out of magic instead of forfeiting it by disobeying the Book's instructions.

After finishing the mandrake root, she turned to the cup of cheap rice wine. Drinking with the Mud People was banned under fairy law, but she didn't really think she had a choice. She wouldn't lose her magic for it the way she once would have done by entering a human dwelling without permission, but the council would have the right to banish her from living among the People.

 _Surely they would have to make an exception if they know my situation. Then again, considering how much they seem to hate me, maybe they won't._ She dispelled the thought – now was hardly the time to be having doubts. Besides, some thoughts were too terrible to contemplate.

With a trembling hand she raised the cup to her lips. If for whatever reason this didn't work, she would be about as deep in troll dung as it was possible to be. Vladimir would come back, and she would be forced to either betray her people to the Mud Men or be tortured until they broke her mind. She wasn't stupid, she knew she would break – everyone did eventually. She had traded any hopes of resistance for a chance to escape. To survive.

 _Roll the dice. One chance to live._

She took a mouthful. It was all she could do not to gag at the vicious kick the wine gave her – she wasn't exactly used to drinking alcohol. Worse though, she felt nothing; no magic. Another mouthful. And another. There! Something. A spark. Enough for a _mesmer._ Maybe.

She let the cup drop and its remaining contents spill on the floor. Her hand still trembled, but now with excitement as opposed to fear. A playful smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she looked up at Oleksandr.

For a moment, their eyes locked. Blue and hazel meeting grey irises that held no emotion. No humanity.

" _Human, your will is mine,"_ Holly intoned, her voice layered with the hypnotic _mesmer. "You will obey any instruction I give you. Oleksandr, I own you."_

And that was it. Her spark was spent. _Please let it have been enough_.

Sure enough, her tormentor's eyes lost focus and he slowly began to nod. "I am your servant, fairy. What is it you wish me to do?"

Relief flooded through Holly, so much so she had to stop herself from laughing aloud. Her smile was genuine. Perhaps she was once again without magic, but Oleksandr would remain her slave until he was freed from the _mesmer._ At least she hoped so.

"Tell me about Petrenko – who is he?"

"Ex-Mafiya. He came to Ukraine with his lieutenant when his old colleagues turned on him. He set up a small crime network – we do anything that gets us money."

"You're Russian as well. You were in the Mafiya with Petrenko?"

Oleksandr shook his head. "I owe his lieutenant my life. When he needed someone to help them escape Russia I obliged."

"What about fairies? How did you find out about us?"

The Russian shrugged. "Vladimir found out somehow. He said we were going to kidnap someone, which is pretty standard for us. We didn't know anything any fairies. I we all stunned when him and the Guardian delivered you."

"The Guardian?" inquired Holly, frowning.

"He's a sniper. A killer for hire. I don't know his real name, but he's good. The best."

Holly's expression darkened. Dealing with a high-caliber assassin would certainly complicate things. She wondered if this was the person who had shot her back in Ireland. Probably.

"Where actually is Petrenko right now?"

Oleksandr shrugged again. "He doesn't tell us. I think he's meeting someone – that would make sense, right? I mean, how else does he find out how to kidnap a fairy, or get all those fancy sensors?"

The elf felt a chill creep up her spine. "What sensors?"

A third shrug. "When we arrived here in Pripyat, he showed up with a bunch futuristic-looking scanners and stuff. Said they would detect a shielded shuttle, whatever that is."

The sentence was a gold-mine of information for Holly. Now she knew where they were – if her memory served her correctly then Pripyat was ghost town in Northern Ukraine following the Chernobyl disaster. That would certainly explain the radiation. The revelation that these people would be able to detect any kind of stealth rescue attempt was worrying to say the least, and of course the radiation would diminish the fairies' magic and prevent them from shielding. All in all, not an ideal situation.

Ever since the kidnapping, Holly had been wondering how on Earth this group of humans had managed to find her. Now it seemed that question that had been answered: someone had put them up to it and furnished them with the technology to complete their goal. Someone who also was seeking information about the LEP. _And judging by some of the questions they asked me,_ she realized with a twinge of horror, _someone who wants to put the humans in contact with the People._

A human someone? Unlikely. Artemis certainly would have had the knowledge and the connections to pull it off, but surely he wouldn't do that. Would he? _No. He may have hurt me, more than once, but I don't believe he would do this to me. Not again. Not after he lied to me about infecting his mother. Not after the guilt of his Atlantis Complex. Besides, why would he want to cause an interspecies war? The two of us have risked our lives avoiding exactly that several times._

The problem was, if it wasn't a human someone, that meant it was a fairy someone. And then things suddenly seemed an awful lot more sinister. Anyone trying to rescue her would surely underestimate their foe if they believed them to be a mere human.

 _I have to find a way to warn Artemis. And the LEP_. She paused – why had Artemis been her first thought? Whatever, she had to get the information she had found to her allies.

"Where are the things I had on me when you abducted me?" she asked her unwitting minion.

"Some of things, like your laser gun, The Boss took away and locked up. They are under constant guard. But the rest is just in a pile upstairs."

"Could you retrieve a few things for me without being detected?"

There was a pause as Oleksandr considered it. "I think so. What is it you want me fetch?"

Holly described the items as best she could. "Act as you normally would," she added. "And don't tell anyone about this conversation."

 **A/N: Exciting times! Holly can finally start being proactive. Can you guess the items she needs retrieved?**

 **As usual, any feedback is much appreciated.**


	7. Desolate

**Chapter 7;**

 **Nebula Facility, Location Unknown**

Vladimir Petrenko was not a man who frightened easily. In fact, he had once fought a bear with a kitchen knife, won, carved it up and cooked it. He had been very hungry at the time, but not scared. Now that he came to think about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had really felt fear. Apart from in the presence of his mistress.

 _Mistress? It sounds ridiculous. Thank God none of my people have heard me refer to her like that._

As humiliating as it may have been for the battle-hardened Russian criminal, he still used the word. His mistress had simply suggested it one day. It had been the kind of suggestion that left you in no doubt that there would be consequences if it was disobeyed. Consequences that shortened your life dramatically.

Swallowing his pride and mustering his courage, Petrenko stepped forward and laid his thumb on the scanner in front of him. A red light winked as the machine worked, and then his name flashed up on the digital readout. The screen also informed him that he was in fact allowed in the facility, and therefore would not be immediately terminated by the various DNA cannons that peppered the entire structure.

He had to wait – another thing he was unused to doing – but eventually the huge blast doors before him slid open to reveal his mistress's "Ops Room". Every surface was either covered in futuristic looking gas screens or advanced readouts that Vladimir couldn't begin to get his head around. The room was split in two – the part that he had stepped into was the "operations" section and featured the base's mainframe, as well as the computers and screens that his mistress used to keep track of her plans. The other half was a wort of workshop, used only for his mistress's most top secret tinkering.

Vladimir knew that she was very proud of her little stronghold within a stronghold. She had made as much clear on numerous occasions. The Russian hadn't really seen the point – how on Earth was anyone going to find, let alone break into her top secret "Nebula Facility"? It didn't really seem necessary to build another impenetrable room inside to house her most valuable work and from which to orchestrate her schemes. Still, he wasn't paid to think about these things. And for Vladimir Petrenko, anything for which he wasn't paid a substantial amount of money was basically a waste of time. He was that kind of person.

His apprehension built as he stepped across the threshold. He didn't like visiting without much good news. He was also well aware that he had just been scanned from several different directions to verify his identity (again) and was standing among a variety of particularly nasty traps. _Probably best not to think about those._

"Mistress?" he asked tentatively. When he received no answer, he began to futilely hope that somehow she wasn't there. "Amber?"

At the mention of her name, the centaur emerged from behind a stack of what looked like partially assembled warheads. Petrenko had long since learnt not to ask about the things his mistress built in her workshop or her Ops Room. He was slightly worried he might be reprimanded for daring to speak her name, but it seemed she was all smiles. For now.

"Ah, Vlad, you made it! Not that you really had a choice." She gave a playful little laugh and shook out her long and flowing blond hair. The expression didn't particularly suit her face. Petrenko didn't know much about centaurs, having only met one, but he supposed she might have been pretty were it not for her malice. She may have been wearing a relatively genial expression, but her hatred of the world was still there for anyone to see, bubbling just beneath the surface. And her eyes, black as night, shone with an ever-present madness that sent chills down his spine in a way not even the bitter Russian winter could not.

"Yes… mistress."

"Good news I trust?"

"Indeed. The package has begun to co-operate." Hopefully he would not be forced to reveal that he had yet to obtain much useful information.

"You told her the stuff about Artemis Fowl? And tortured her?"

"Yes, mistress."

Amber made no attempt to conceal her glee. Petrenko had dealt with more than his fair share of sadists and psychopaths – in fact he tended to employ them – but Amber was different. She had an insatiable appetite for destruction that unsettled even Vladimir. _She and Ivan would get on great,_ he thought flippantly. Sometimes he wondered if working with the centaur had been a mistake, but those thoughts only lasted as long as it took him to remember her promise of untold wealth and influence once her master plan came to fruition. And revenge. It also helped that he was pretty sure he'd be dead if he'd dared to say no.

"Mistress… is it true? Is Artemis Fowl going to come knocking on my door?" His tone made it very clear that Artemis Fowl knocking on his door was about the last thing he wanted to happen. "And what did that bit about her life being ten times more valuable mean?"

Amber sighed. Should she tell him about her request to the LEP and Artemis Fowl for ten tons of gold? _No,_ she decided. After all, she ran all her operations on a need-to-know basis, and he didn't really need to know, did he?

"Why are you scared of a child? And a _human_ -" she spat the word "-child at that."

"You must understand, mistress, he has a certain reputation. Boy or not, he's dangerous. One of my old Mafiya contacts says he once had Fowl's father held to ransom. He said the boy gets spotted all over the world in one day, then turns up and _shoots_ his own father! Then a few weeks later he sees on the news that Fowl Senior is alive and well back in Ireland. I'm telling you, that boy is bad news."

Amber shrugged. From what she knew about Fowl, the miraculous recovery of his father immediately followed his role in preventing Haven from being overrun by goblins. It stood to reason that the spineless council had abandoned their principals and lent the Mud Boy a hand. No doubt stories of such things as magic would only have enhanced his already impressive criminal reputation.

"The boy _is_ dangerous, that I'll grant you," she admitted. "But I don't think you have much to fear from him. Soon he will have much bigger problems to deal with. However, I am sure that Fowl and Captain Short would just love to throw a spanner in the works of my genius plan, and so both are too dangerous to be kept alive. I will organize a little accident for the Mud Boy; you will prepare the good Captain for execution. Get whatever extra information you can out of her in the meantime, but as soon as I give the word, I want her dead."

* * *

 **LEP Shuttle, German Airspace**

"Do you read me, Foaly?"

They may have been separated by several thousand miles of rock and mantle, but the centaur heard his commander's voice clear as day.

"Foaly reads all," he replied, giving a small chuckle.

Trouble sighed and looked out over the German countryside through the one of the shuttles virtual windows. Genii could be so conceited sometimes.

"Where are we heading?" he asked.

"Already sent the location to both pilots. Since looking at all appropriate sites, I decided this one would be best. It's an abandoned industrial estate about a minute away from Hamburg itself. Minimal chance of discovery and you'll be in the perfect position to intervene if things go wrong with Holly. Plus, you'll be able to set a perfect crossfire in case they somehow do find you."

Trouble guessed that the second pilot that Foaly was referring to was the one en route from Ukraine with Artemis's gold, due to arrive only a few minutes after his own squad. He still couldn't quite believe that the Mud Boy had actually given them his gold, but the retrieval team leader has assured him that it was onboard and genuine. In fact, the Commander had insisted that it be double and triple checked thoroughly. Nevertheless, the tests had come out positive. Extraordinary.

Only minutes later, the shielded shuttle arrived at the desolate cluster of tired-looking buildings. Once the area had been scanned for lifeforms, Trouble ordered the pilot to open the shuttle doors. He stepped out into fresh air.

At least, he was expecting fresh air. What he got what a deeply unpleasant lungful of the Mud Men's toxins. He took a moment to really appreciate his surroundings and couldn't stop himself from shaking his head in disgust.

The tattered, graffitied brickwork and the dirty, littered street were certainly a far cry from the beautiful German countryside that he had seen from the shuttle. Was there anything that humanity could not turn ugly and broken? It was made so much worse by the emptiness. The Mud People had built this monstrosity for "industry", which basically involved destroying the environment, caused immense environmental damage through its construction and then just abandoned it. Humanity had a lot to answer for.

"Alright people, let's get this show on the road," he announced once Retrieval One arrived from Ukraine. "I want sharpshooters on the rooftops and in the higher windows, as well as shielded scouts to act as an early warning system. Have the gold hidden in that building."

As he spoke he indicated a large warehouse located in the center of the estate. It was the perfect stronghold for the LEP: large, dark and full of cover. Their superior night vision and thermal targeting systems would give them a huge advantage if anyone did gain access. Not to mention that shielding was even more effective in the dark since the tell-tale shimmer was all but impossible to make out. He was fairly sure he was just being paranoid setting up all these measures in case of attack, but you could never be too safe. Besides, a healthy dose of paranoia didn't seem to have done Foaly any harm, so far be it from him to ignore the growing sense of unease that was building in his gut.

Doing his best to dispel his irrational fears, Trouble cast his gaze to the sky. It wasn't even six o'clock local time, but already the light of day was receding back into the horizon, and the wind brought with it a bitter chill. Still, that was winter for you. The darkness was actually good news for the Trouble and his people, since the sunlight diminished their powers and made them easier to detect. It was less good news for Holly. _Six hours to the deadline,_ he thought. _More than enough time for us to set up and stew for a few hours, but what are they playing at? Have they even started moving her yet?_

He was disturbed from his glum thoughts by a whining voice.

"Trouble," came the wholly unwelcome voice of his brother, Grub Kelp. "It's not fair. They want me to go on guard duty."

The older brother turned slowly, using every iota of self-restraint he possessed to prevent himself from growling at Grub. The idea of actually contributing while at work was entirely foreign to his younger brother. _This is ridiculous! I'm the commander of the LEP, why should I have to deal with this?_

However, before he had time to issue an appropriately scathing response, another junior officer arrived. "Sorry to interrupt sir, but Corporal Kelp here is refusing to obey orders."

Trouble sighed. He didn't have time for this. Not tonight. Not when Holly's life was on the line. He took the officer aside, out of Grub's earshot, and put a fatherly arm around his shoulders.

"Listen, tonight might be a difficult night. We might have to fight. We might lose someone. If we are attacked, it's up to everyone to do their bit. The scouts are integral – they could buy us those few moments of warning that save lives. Now, I know it doesn't seem fair, but please, ask yourself this. Do you really want to rely on Corporal Grub to perform such an important task? Wouldn't you rather he had a less, shall we say, vital role in proceedings?"

The officer paled as he realized what his Commander was getting at. Entrusting Grub with other people's lives was at the very least an insult to those people's families.

"A less vital role… like doing nothing and staying out of everyone's way?" he suggested quickly.

Trouble smiled tiredly and patted the officer on the back. "Excellent idea."

As he watched his brother try, and fail, to contain his glee at the prospect of having no obligations in the immediate future, he wondered why he not just put up, but helped facilitate Grub's deplorable attitude to his job. _Because if you didn't then Mother would flay you living?_ suggested a voice in head. He sighed. It was true that his mother has always insisted he give his brother special treatment, but he supposed it was something more than that. He had a soft spot for his brother, somewhere deep down, and sometimes it caused him to make decisions that weren't for the good of the People.

Decisions like allowing Grub into Retrieval One again for such an important mission. It wasn't a choice that made sense – Grub might be in danger (and God knew he couldn't handle anything more hazardous than a stink worm), or other fairies would be in danger and relying on Grub to have their back. Something else that he was far from adept at. Nevertheless, his brother and his mother had begged and he had given in, against his better judgement. _For goodness sake Trouble, Root would never have showed such weakness. And he also wouldn't have been caught thinking about family matters on such an important mission. Pull yourself together, fairy!_

Trouble grudgingly stood. He supposed he ought to check their defenses and make sure everything was in place. The last vestiges of daylight had already died, and even his advanced LEP suit wasn't doing to a lot to keep the cold out. He chanced another look up into the night sky before heading off, fully expecting his gaze to be swallowed up by the sea of blackness. Instead, it focused on a light.

In that moment, Trouble Kelp knew he was dead.

* * *

 **LEP Forward Operating Base, Northern Ukraine**

Artemis Fowl was deep in thought. He wasn't normally one for walks, seeing as they involved both physical effort and being outside, but he had nevertheless decided to take a stroll out of the camp. The hope had been that the crisp air and the stillness would help him concentrate, but he had ended up just being cold. Very cold. He supposed that was what you got for going for a walk in the Ukrainian winter without the appropriate attire.

He wasn't sure why, but something about the fairy encampment bothered him. He hadn't missed the way most of the fairies seemed unable to hide their contempt of either his species or his past actions, but that didn't really affect him. In some ways, it was nice not to be forgiven for his misdeeds – he certainly hadn't forgiven himself. Holly and Butler's constant attempts to alleviate the guilt had got old fast, as had their insistences that he shouldn't blame himself since he had essentially been a different person. Artemis had no doubt that while he may have changed, those regrets would remain with him for the rest of his life. He didn't mind. Part of beating Atlantis had been accepting the person he used to be.

No, there was something else. _It's too military,_ he realized with a jolt. _Those fairies are soldiers – and serious ones too. It feels like they are preparing for war, especially with all the weapons they have._

Before he could continue his train of thought, however, his fairy communicator disguised as a ring came to life.

"What does Foaly want now?" the teen grumbled as he raised his thumb and forefinger to his ear.

"Artemis?" came a hushed but distinctly feminine voice that definitely didn't belong to a centaur. "Are you there?"

" _Holly?_ " he gasped, for once not even trying to hide his astonishment.

"Obviously – who else did you think it was?"

Artemis was so overwhelmed by a combination of surprise and relief that he didn't even notice the irritation creep into the elf's tone.

"How did you even-"

"No time for explanations right now Mud Boy. We have a problem."

"Really? I hadn't noticed!" Artemis took a steadying breath. "Listen, just sit tight. They should be delivering you to the drop point any minute now, but don't worry – we'll be in position to intercept you. You'll be back in Haven in no time."

"Drop point? What in Frond's name are you talking about, Mud Boy?"

Artemis could almost see the confusion written over her face. He frowned. "The exchange? We have the ransom. Everything is in place."

"Ransom? Artemis… I don't think these people have any interest in money. When I said we have a problem, I didn't mean me. I believe that whoever these people are they plan to orchestrate a war between fairies and humans, or at least they're working for someone who does. And more than that, I'm sure there's a fairy involved. The boss – real nasty piece of work called Vladimir Petrenko – got given a bunch of advanced sensors to detect shielded shuttles."

Artemis felt all the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He didn't like where this was going. "How can you be sure they are planning a war?"

Holly paused for a moment, unsure of exactly what to say. "Artemis, this wasn't like when you kidnapped me," she began softly. "This didn't feel like I was being ransomed. They interrogated me. About the LEP, specifically about our protocols for dealing with humans and what we would do in case of discovery. They… they tortured me. And this guy, he said things about you. They knew who you were, and about out past, and they knew you would come for me. He said he'd planned for it."

"They. Did. _What?_ " Artemis's voice had turned cold as ice, and twice as dangerous.

"They asked questions about-"

"I didn't mean that bit. You know what I was referring to. They _tortured_ you?"

"Listen to me Mud Boy, this is not the time for outrage! Save your moral indignation for later – right now we have to contain this. Any plans you may have made – rethink them. This is part of something so much bigger than you or I, I'm sure of it."

Artemis wasn't really listening. Holly's words didn't quite seem able to penetrate the fog of anger that was clouding his consciousness.

Holly plowed on, unaware of her human friend's internal struggles. "I don't think anyone's going to come to and collect me, but I can escape my cell. If I do that, can you get me out of here?"

Artemis was finally pulled out from his daze by one of Holly's statements managing to worm its way past the rage and into his brain. _Any plans you may have made – rethink them._ Had he made any plans? Of course he had; he was Artemis Fowl. Unfortunately, those plans had been based on the assumption that they were dealing with a human group that was seeking a ransom, possibly with some obscure connection to a fairy. They were not designed to deal with a group that was being entirely organized by a fairy and was also bent on causing an inter-species war. Once he had rethought them compensating for the new information, his plans seemed rather inadequate.

All in all, things weren't boding well. For Trouble Kelp, though, Artemis guessed that they boded especially badly. _I sent him into what could quite possibly be a trap. And not a crude, human one, but one of fairy design._

"Mud Boy, you there? Artemis?" Holly sounded concerned.

Artemis paused, worry etched all over his face. "Hold that thought, Holly," he said, and reached into his pocket to retrieve the LEP communicator that Butler had given him earlier that day. "I need to make another call."

* * *

 **Abandoned Industrial Estate, Outskirts of Hamburg, Germany**

" _Trouble Kelp, you listen to me! You_ will _give your brother the respect he deserves. And you will not speak to me like that again!"_

 _Trouble clenched his fists, trying to control his anger. "Mother, I am a Captain in the Lower Elements Police. It is my job to do what is best for the People. And first-and-foremost, I have a responsibility to my fairies – and that means treating everyone fairly. Grub isn't ready for something like this yet, and I can't in good conscience give him the role over another, better qualified officer."_

" _Treating everyone fairly? Don't make me laugh. You know how unfair they are to him. Just last week he was being bullied! Can you believe that?" His mother was getting more and more agitated with every sentence. She really had quite a talent for working herself up into a frenzy over nothing._

 _Of course, his mother was right. Grub wasn't treated fairly. The fair way to treat Grub would be to kick him off the force – he didn't have a place there and probably never would. But instead, they kept giving him second chances, and he kept coming home with stories for their mother. These tales ranged from blown wildly out of proportion to entirely fictitious, but the one thing they all had in common was that they painted Grub in a good light and everyone else in a bad one._

" _That sounds very serious, mother," he replied, trying to keep his voice even. Hopefully if he seemed to be being more reasonable, his mother would relent. "However, that isn't really the issue here. What if something happens to him because he wasn't properly prepared for combat? How could I live with myself, knowing that I specially requested him?"_

" _Don't try and act like you care. All you care about is your career; that's the only reason that you even managed to get a higher rank than your brother in the first place. You_ will _request Grub for your next retrieval mission and that is final."_

" _But mother-"_

" _No buts!" she scorned. "Don't be a baby Trouble."_

The memory shattered. Trouble was dragged back to reality by his LEP communicator crackling to life.

"Commander? Commander, do you read me?" The voice was youthful and Irish, and noticeably stressed. Fowl. "D'Arvit, Trouble can you hear me? I'm patching Foaly through. If you can hear me, you have to get out of there _now_. We have new information and we believe you may be compromised. I repeat, you may be compromised. Evacuate your people immediately."

The commander was oddly calm as he looked up into the sky, his eyes fixated on the artificial red light that was rapidly approaching him. Until moments ago it could have been a star, or a plane or something. But now as is corkscrewed out of the darkness towards the fairy company, the teardrop silhouette of a bio-bomb was unmistakable. The sinister red light on its belly taunted him.

Trouble returned to his memory. He had given in eventually, so and when a few days later the Fowl affair had happened, he had requested his brother for Retrieval One. He hadn't been badly hurt, and he had returned with many a fantastical story that his mother had eaten up. After that day, the desire to fight with his family had left Trouble Kelp. In the days to come, he had always allowed his mother to sway his decisions. It was easier that way.

And now Grub would die. All because his elder brother had taken the easy path, instead of doing what he knew was right.

"Trouble for the love of all that is holy, say something!" Apparently Foaly had now been patched into the call. "For goodness sake, all your lives might be in danger!"

The elf raised the communicator to his lips with trembling fingers.

"I know," he mumbled. "I'm sorry. Tell them all that I'm sorry."

He let the communicator fall and it clattered to the ground.

 _I'm sorry._

His brother would die because of him. How many others had he failed to save? He listed them mentally, his head seeming to grow heavier with every name. The most notable was Julius Root. His commander. His mentor. His friend. Dead because Trouble had let him walk to into Koboi's obvious trap.

The bio-bomb was close now. He had moments to live, that much he was certain of. And as his last seconds ticked away, all Trouble could think of was a face. The face of a beautiful, auburn haired elf who he knew he would never see again.

 _I'm sorry._

And then Trouble Kelp stopped thinking anything at all.

 **A/N: So that happened. Yeah. Sorry if you were a Trouble fan.**

 **Anyway... Please review! I love reading what you guys have to say 3**


	8. Scarred

**Chapter 8;**

 **LEP Forward Operating Base, Northern Ukraine**

"Commander? Commander, do you read me?" Artemis began fumbling with the communicator, overriding its restrictions and adding Foaly to the call. "D'Arvit, Trouble can you hear me? I'm patching Foaly through. If you can hear me, you have to get out of there _now_. We have new information and we believe you may be compromised. I repeat, you may be compromised. Evacuate your people immediately."

No response. _D'Arvit_. What if they were too late? He had only been able to reach the commander's in combat communications system – his voice would be emanating from a speaker located somewhere on Trouble's uniform, (if the equipment was still working that was) but he had no way to know if Trouble could hear him, or even if he was still alive. He also had no visuals to tell him what was going on.

 _D'Arvit,_ he thought again

Finally, he managed to get the LEP technical consultant into the call. He had already dropped Foaly a message containing some of what Holly had said. Not all though – there were certain details that such a close friend of Holly was probably better off not knowing.

"Trouble for the love of all that is holy, say something!" Foaly's voice was high and panicky. "For goodness sake, all your lives might be in danger!"

Artemis began running through possible scenarios in his head. Apart from the incredibly slim possibility of equipment malfunction, none of them were good.

After what seemed like an age, but was in reality probably only a few seconds, Trouble spoke. His words, however, were far from reassuring.

"I know," the commander mumbled. "I'm sorry. Tell them all I'm sorry."

"Trouble? What are you talking about?" Foaly seemed confused.

Artemis just shook his head. _He knows it's too late. For whatever reason, he believes there is no hope of survival. He's remembering all his regrets, all his failures._

"Trouble hold on; there's still-"

"Still what, Foaly? Time?" Artemis's tone was angry now. "Of course there isn't. He can't hear you anymore, he's dropped the mic. And if they aren't already dead, then they will be soon."

Foaly's sharp intake of breath was easily audible. "No… they can't be."

Artemis took a moment to calm down. Biting Foaly's head off wasn't going to be helpful. "I'm sorry for sounding harsh. I'm just angry. This is my fault."

"Don't say that! Don't write them off like that! Hang on, I'm pulling scopes to look at them. I'll have a live feed in seconds. Boot up your laptop, I'll stream it to you."

"I'm not in base right now, I'll be there in a few minutes." Artemis didn't have the heart to tell his friend not to bother. There were several possibilities for what had transpired in Germany, but given the way Trouble had been acting, he had seen something that would kill them. Artemis had a pretty good idea what that something might have been. If he was right and they had been bio-bombed, there would have been no survivors, no hope. It would also open up a whole series of difficult questions, namely: _how the hell did someone get their hands on a bio-bomb?_

Much like nuclear warheads in the human world, bio-bombs were only available to the government. Only the council and those at the absolute top of the LEP would have access to one. Had they been betrayed? Or were they dealing with someone who was able to construct their own? _If Koboi could do it…_

Artemis was running now. Hard. If he had been less distracted he might have mentally commented on how unlike him this was, but today was not a day for such trivialities.

He was back at the camp in minutes, and already shouting for his manservant by the time he sprinted through its border.

"Butler," he said breathlessly when he caught sight of the bodyguard, doubling up with his hands on his knees. Artemis was many things, but fit wasn't one of them. "K'Azir. Get Galadhon. Butler. Get ready. We strike tonight."

Needless to say Butler was highly concerned for his young charge, but even as he began to ask what was wrong, Artemis's attention was diverting to his fairy communicator.

"Foaly, do you have the feed?"

No reply. Not good. Artemis grabbed his laptop as he waited and keyed in his ludicrously long password. It didn't take long for a video file to arrive in his inbox. He was fairly sure he knew what it would show, but he ought to watch it anyway. It was the logical thing to do to get all the available information.

That didn't make it any easier to click the link.

On screen a distant, aerial view of a cluster of buildings flickered to life. It was too dark and too low quality to make much out, but it was obvious that this was where Commander Kelp and LEP Retrieval One had holed up to wait for the deadline. _Now it will be their grave,_ he thought morbidly.

By squinting, he could just about identify a shape falling out of the sky into the center of the estate, reaching the ground seconds later. Deadly light flashed, cascading over the desolate landscape. And then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. The tragic scene lay in darkness.

Artemis sat silently for a few moments, simply staring at the soulless image on his screen. Nothing could have survived.

Nothing living at least. The fairy technology would still be more or less intact though.

"Foaly," he said quietly, hating himself but knowing that it had to be said. "You know you have to self-destruct all the LEP gear, don't you?"

"Already… already done it." Foaly replied after a short pause, his voice breaking. Artemis could almost hear the centaur try and fail to pull himself together. There would be no body to bury or cremate, nothing left of the commander for which to mourn. Artemis himself had only ever had a rocky relationship with Trouble, but he still felt an overwhelming sense of loss and emptiness. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Foaly was feeling.

Somewhere out there was a truly evil fairy. Artemis was sure of that now. A fairy that had brutally killed a little girl to make a point, tortured his best friend and callously slaughtered an entire team of LEP officers. For what? Money? If Holly was right, then they weren't done yet. They still wanted to cause a war that would kill many millions, maybe even billions of innocent people. Cold rage threatened to engulf him. He had never before wanted someone to die, much less to be the one responsible. But that was exactly what he wanted now. _I don't care what the cost is. I don't care how long it takes. There will be justice for this._

Artemis tried to take stock of the situation, and the options that remained to him. Trouble was gone. Retrieval One was gone, along with anyone else that Trouble had brought with him from Haven. No doubt the gold had been retrieved by their enemies.

The gold. He hadn't even thought of it until now. He realized with a jolt that he actually didn't care about it. Not even slightly. A part of him was suddenly irrationally angry with himself for ever placing such stock in material wealth and neglecting the people around him.

"Artemis Fowl. Explain." The voice belonged to Captain Galadhon. It sounded like he would brook no argument.

Artemis took a single steadying breath. _Foaly is in no state to make any kind of input. I may have failed Trouble, but there is still a life I can save. Holly_ must _live. I will not allow their deaths to be in vain._

And in a heartbeat he was his usual, composed self again. He promised himself he would put all of his feelings to one side until Holly was rescued. Mentally unhealthy, perhaps, but it was the best thing he could right now. _I must be strong if we are to save her. I cannot allow emotion to cloud my judgement._

The human calmly closed his laptop and turned to face Galadhon. He and K'Azir stood side by side, wearing equally stoic expressions. It seemed as though while the Major had followed Artemis's instructions to fetch the strike team captain, he wasn't very happy about being ordered around in such a short fashion.

"Very well," Artemis began. "As of a few minutes ago, the LEP company in Germany were bio-bombed. At present we believe that all fairies are K.I.A.; we also believe that whoever was behind this entire affair plans to introduce humanity to the People. It is imperative that we act quickly if we are to prevent further tragedy."

Artemis kept his voice even and his tone matter-of-fact, refusing to allow his pain to creep in.

Galadhon said nothing, his face remaining impassive. K'Azir on the hand grew angry, drawing his Neutrino and levelling it at Artemis.

"Don't even think about moving, Mud Scum," he said, his voice dripping with contempt.

Butler stepped forward, his plasma rifle already pointing directly at this new threat to his charge. Galadhon turned sharply to the Major. "What are you doing?" he muttered in Gnomish.

K'Azir ignored him, instead continuing to speak to Artemis. "This was your plan. You sent them to their deaths. You. From the beginning you've been a suspect in this affair. So give me one good reason, right now, why I should trust a single fucking word that comes out of your Mud Scum mouth."

Artemis stood, seemingly unfazed. "It is of little consequence to me whether or not you trust me, Major. I strongly suspect that in the very near future, Holly Short will be executed. I will not permit this to happen. You may assist me or you may choose to do nothing, but don't you dare think about getting in my way."

Galadhon stepped between the two and placed a hand on K'Azir's gun, pushing it down so it no longer pointed at Artemis. "You have a plan?" he asked quietly.

Artemis nodded. "Part of one at least. It's risky, but it's our best shot. Speed is essential if we are to reach her before it's too late."

Galadhon regarded him briefly, as if making his mind up whether to side with Artemis or K'Azir. "Very well, Fowl," he announced eventually. "Trouble died as part of the operation to rescue Captain Short. I intend to make sure that he didn't die for nothing, even if it's the last thing I do."

Behind him, K'Azir made a noise somewhat akin to a growl. Galadhon turned to face him and spoke quietly in a language Artemis didn't recognize. Vietnamese maybe? He frowned, but then it hit him. _I may be able to speak their native language, but with the gift of tongues they still have numerous ways to communicate without me being able to understand._ Artemis wasn't overly pleased that he had no idea what was being said, especially given that it was almost certainly about him.

"Let it go for tonight, Major. Just tonight. Trouble trusted that he cares for the Captain and so do I. If we work with him, we might be able to save her."

"He did this. It's the only explanation that makes sense. How else would they know where to find Trouble? He sent them where they would be sitting ducks."

"Maybe. Maybe not. What does he gain? And surely that would make him complicit in Captain Short's kidnapping as well. I doubt he would do that, not a second time."

"Perhaps I don't share your trust of _humans,_ " shot back K'Azir, the final word laden with contempt.

Galadhon sighed, exasperated. "Whatever. It doesn't matter right now. I'm not asking you to trust him, just let him do his thing tonight. One night. We owe it do Trouble do complete his mission. Arrest him tomorrow, or shoot him if you must. But we should save Short first."

The silence that followed was intoxicating. You could have cut the tension in the air with a knife. Finally, K'Azir spoke.

"Fine. For Commander Kelp," he said. He turned to address Artemis, this time in English. "Fowl. You had better not mess this up."

* * *

Artemis fidgeted impatiently as his communicator ring tried to establish a link with Holly. Normally he wouldn't have minded so much, but he didn't really have time to burn at present.

"Artemis?" came Holly's worried sounding voice. "What on Earth is going on? What call did you have to make?"

Artemis took a deep breath. _Courage,_ he told himself. _You know this is the right thing to do._

 _No! She won't forgive you if you lie to her again!_ argued his other side.

"I had to contact a colleague elsewhere. In light of your information I decided it would be wise to instruct him to withdraw lest he be in danger."

There. It was done. Holly and Trouble had been very close – Foaly had even told him that the two had been dating at one point. His death would crush her, and that wasn't something they could afford right now. If his plan was going to work, he needed her to be sharp as a hawk. He had no doubt that grief would only make it harder for her to escape.

 _She'll hate you for it._

Perhaps she would. But at this point, Artemis had already lost too much. He'd rather have an angry Holly than a dead one. She had to live, and if he had to sacrifice their friendship for her life then so be it.

"Oh, OK," she said, seeming to accept the lie.

"I seem to recall you saying something about being able to escape your cell – is that still the case?" He did his best to keep his tone even, desperate not to allow the guilt that haunted him to betray the deception.

"Yes. At least I think so. I managed to _mesmerize_ one of the guards and got him to retrieve some of the things that were confiscated from me – including this communicator. I can leave the cell at any time, but he tells me that there are guards everywhere. I could get out, but I couldn't go anywhere. I know nothing about the layout of the building I'm in either."

"I feel like I should confirm this; you _are_ in Pripyat, yes?"

"That's what I'm told. Are you nearby?" asked Holly, daring to hope that there might be a chance of escape after all.

"Very much so. I have the beginnings of a plan, but as far as we are aware you are being held in the Energetik building," responded Artemis quickly. "The entire structure is built on solid concrete – not even Mulch could tunnel you out. Shielding obviously isn't possible due to radiation, and according to you they would be able to detect a cloaked shuttle. If we're going to come and get you, it's going to have to be through all their defenses."

"Negative, Artemis," Holly said resignedly. "It'd be a bloodbath. Besides, as soon as you started attacking they would probably come and kill me. Maybe it would be best if you focused on finding whoever is responsible before they have a chance to reveal the People."

"No. Absolutely not, Holly." Artemis's voice was sharp, and a little louder than he had intended. He made a conscious effort to continue more quietly. "No. I will under no circumstances abandon you. There is a way to do this, I know there is. All I need is a plan."

"What can I do?" Holly seemed at least partially reassured by his determination. Or perhaps she was just pretending. Not that it mattered much.

Artemis's response was immediate. "Information. Anything you have."

So she relayed everything that Oleksandr had told her, everything she had picked up since arriving in Pripyat and exactly what items her minion had been able to retrieve.

For his part, Artemis just sat in silence with his eyes closed, absorbing every sliver of detail that Holly offered. Slowly but surely, he began to see a way to make his earlier strategy possible.

Wasting no time, he explained to Holly what he needed her to do. Back in her cell, the imprisoned Captain paled.

"You're sure that's a good idea?"

"Not even slightly," came the not particularly encouraging answer. "But I'm not hearing any better ideas from you at the moment. In theory, you should be in very little danger. Simply wait for the sound of explosions, then disappear. It's idiot-proof."

As far as Holly was concerned, the Mud Boy sounded far smugger than one would have thought the situation would allow.

In reality though, Artemis didn't allow his signature self-satisfaction to last. True, he now had a plan, which was a lot more than he had had a few minutes ago, however there were still several things to be organized before it could be put into practice.

He pulled out his phone and selected his bodyguard's number from his saved contacts list.

"Butler? Are you with your contact?"

"I've just left him," came the gravelly reply.

"And?"

Butler's sigh was easily audible to Artemis over the high quality microphone. "And I've had to call in a lot of favors, but eventually I managed to get what you wanted. The contact I just met agreed as well, but only after I promised him ten-thousand US dollars. I hope you have at least _some_ money left in one of your accounts."

"Excellent. How long until you return?"

"An hour at most." Butler paused, seemingly unsure of exactly how to phrase what he wanted to say. In the end, he opted for bluntness. "Artemis… I don't like this."

Artemis was struck by how old his manservant sounded. "Neither do I, old friend. Nonetheless, I don't think we have any other option. You and I both know we can't abandon her."

"I didn't say we should. I would never say that," Butler said firmly. "But with Trouble and everything, I just can't help feeling that we might have run out of luck. I'm a tired man, Artemis. I can't keep doing this forever."

Artemis had had similar thoughts himself. What if they didn't come out on top this time? "One last mission, old friend. I promise."

"I distinctly remember you promising that before. Still, I suppose you didn't exactly ask for this. OK, I'll be back soon. Let's see if we can get her out of that hellhole."

The line went dead.

Artemis let his breath out slowly and took a moment to compose himself, resting his head in his hands. _One more person to convince._

The person in question wasn't difficult to find.

"Captain."

"Ah, so the Mud Boy finally shows his face again," interjected K'Azir before Galadhon could respond, even though it was the latter that Artemis had addressed. "Thought up a nice little scheme have we?"

"Yes, actually." Artemis would have loved to rip into the Major with all of his cutting wit, but today he was trying to avoid confrontation. After all, if they fought among themselves, what hope would they have of rescuing Holly? "Captain. Naturally it would not be feasible for your men to mount an assault on the target building, but what if they could slip in unnoticed? Holly will have already escaped her cell and be in constant communication with us, all your team would need to do would be to slip in and provide her with the necessary cover to depart."

Galadhon didn't look convinced. "Go back to the bit where they don't notice us. I'm not entirely sure I follow. We can't shield – they'll pin us down and pick us off."

"Please Captain, have a little faith," said Artemis calmly, his signature smirk plastered across his features. It wasn't that he felt smug, or anything other than sorrow and desperation really, but it was vital to convince Galadhon that he was confident in the plan. "Butler will supply an ample distraction. Trust me, no-one can ever ignore a little fireworks display. Especially when the pretty lights are killing them."

Despite himself, Galadhon actually smiled a little. Artemis may have been human, and little more than a boy at that, but he was a human after his own heart. "That sounds like my kind of distraction. If you can guarantee that they'll be looking the other way, it should be easy for us to get close under cover of darkness. Our suits are insulated; so thermal cameras won't work on us."

"Precisely. As soon as they realize you're there it'll be too late - you'll already be in the in the building. You can easily stun anyone in your way, cover Holly's escape and then it should be a relatively simple matter to clean this whole mess up."

 **A/N: Not a particularly long or eventful chapter, I know, but I wanted to consciously separate the aftermath of Trouble's death and Holly's rescue. Hopefully the next chapter (which is very eventful) makes up for it. Poor Holly, Artemis just doesn't seem to be able to tell her the truth, does he? I don't think she'll be very happy when she finds out...**

 **As always, thanks for re** **ading :D if you have a spare moment to share your thoughts,** **reviews are of course appreciated!**


	9. Aflame

**A/N: First off, sorry this chapter is super late. I normally try and upload at least once a week (which I've missed anyway), but since I've had this chapter written since before the last one went up, I had hoped to put it up ages ago. Unfortunately, I got buried under a small mountain range of school work and couldn't actually find the time to proof read it. So yeah, sorry about that.**

 **That aside, this is it. The rescue. Well, half of it at any rate. Let's see if we can get Holly out of there, shall we? I should mention that I've had the villains do some pretty messed up stuff so far, partly to set me up for a no-holds-barred rescue our heroes don't have to feel too guilty about. Trouble's death also serves this purpose, among others (including eventual A/H :D).**

 **Be aware, this chapter does kind of flick between perspectives and time frames - hopefully it makes sense and isn't overly complicated! Also, fair warning, when I say "no-holds-barred" I mean it. I hope I didn't go _too_ overboard xD.**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 9;**

 **Pripyat, Ukraine**

There were many words that could be applied to Pripyat. Butler's choice of "hellhole" was probably among the most apt, but "nightmare" and "catastrophe" were also definite contenders. Once home to more than fifty-thousand people, it had become a ghost town almost overnight following the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. It no longer thrived. It no longer _lived_.

Now, in the depths of the bitterly cold Ukrainian winter, it had become home to a group of mercenaries and criminals. They hadn't exactly been keen the idea of spending an unknown amount of time guarding something undisclosed in such an extreme environment, but they were the kind of people who could put up with a little discomfort if the money was right. And the money had been very generous indeed.

So it was that pairs of disgruntled men came to roam the cracked, abandoned streets around the Energetik, faces covered to keep out the cold and rifles pointing into the misty darkness ahead of them. On a less glacial day they might have talked, perhaps one man might have commented to his comrade that the town felt somehow soulless, and the other would reply saying that the whole cursed place reeked of decay, but tonight no-one had the will to strike up a conversation.

As one might have expected, they had all been more than a little shocked to hear that they were guarding a _fairy_ , but they had been assured that the magical folk could cast no spells on them, and that their powers would more or less be negated by the climate. This hadn't completely assuaged their doubts, though – the entire town was creepy, there was no escaping that fact, and there was nothing like talk of the supernatural of bring a shiver to the guards' spines that was entirely unrelated to the disagreeable temperature.

Their employers had seemed relatively sure that no-one would actually be stupid enough to try and rescue the fairy, telling the lackeys that they were really more there for show, and probably wouldn't end up having to shoot anything. Still, you couldn't always trust the employer – they would say anything to make the job seem more attractive than it was reality.

Even so, the promise that magic wasn't a threat to them and the guarantee of early warning if any kind of fairy counterattack was incoming had more or less calmed the guards. They weren't particularly worried.

They remained not unduly concerned when they began the hear dull thud of rotor blades over the crisp night air. The sound was somewhat abnormal, but not enormously so. After all, civilian and even military helicopter flights did pass by Pripyat from time to time. And anyway, the fairies had fancy, invisible shuttles that made no noise, didn't they? Surely the fact that they could actually hear the craft in the first place was a good sign. There was probably no threat at all.

It's impressive just how wrong someone can be.

* * *

Butler was focused. It had been a while since he'd seen this kind of action, but he hoped he hadn't lost his edge. Normally the helicopter would have required a crew of two – a pilot and a weapons operator – but once Butler had returned to the fairy camp Artemis had busied himself hacking into the controls and bolting on some LEP technology. The end result had been that Foaly now had access to all of the on-board systems from back at Police Plaza, leaving Butler free to fly.

In spite of himself, Butler smiled. He was in his element. It was high time for some payback.

The first warning sign for the guards came when the helicopter actually flew into the airspace over Pripyat. Even the more mentally challenged among them realized that this was strange, but nevertheless, most didn't see it as a cause for real alarm.

The second warning sign came in the form of the helicopter itself. It was obviously no civilian craft. Having grown up in the USSR, it didn't take long for the guards to recognize the outline framed in the night sky; it belonged to a Russian made Mi-24, known to the rest of the world as a Hind. Far more important than the name, however, was the fact that it featured a wide array of weaponry that was now being very conspicuously directed towards the patrolling defenders.

Looking up at the winged beast, they suddenly felt very small, and their rifles weren't quite as reassuring as they had been a minute ago. Soviet pilots hadn't nicknamed the chopper a "flying tank" for no reason.

And then it opened fire.

* * *

It didn't take long for Butler to expertly maneuver into position.

"Standing by," he said into his helmet mic.

"Acknowledged," came Artemis's swift reply. "Commence assault."

"Alright Foaly, hit them with everything we've got."

"Hell yeah!" exclaimed the centaur, and proceeded to do exactly that.

He began by letting loose several rockets, lighting up the darkness with tongues of orange fire. He sent most of them haphazardly towards the groups of guards, but took care to launch a few specifically into the crowd of vehicles in front of the Energetik. The lightly armored cars might have been able to withstand small arms fire, but they stood no chance against the rockets. Metal bent and buckled, and a number of more or less full fuel tanks ignited, causing a series of brilliant and terrible explosions. There would be no easy escape from the ghost town, much like there had been no easy escape for Trouble in Germany.

"Oh yeah!" shouted Foaly over Butler's earpiece, obviously satisfied with his handiwork. "There has _got_ to be bonus points for that."

The giant manservant couldn't help smiling a little. It had certainly looked impressive, and there was surely no-one inside who hadn't heard the sound. Hopefully their little distraction was working.

* * *

On the ground there was only chaos. Mikhail stumbled through the smog, coughing spluttering as if his life depended on it. In some ways, he supposed it did. He could barely breath. All around him was smoke and fire. He caught a glimpse of darkness through watering eyes and staggered towards it. Darkness meant no fire. Darkness felt safe. A chunk of something sharp – he wasn't sure what, probably shrapnel – had lodged itself in his shoulder. The pain was unimaginable.

This was hell. The world around him burned, the screams and shouts of his comrades flooding his mind. Some lay in terrible agony, yelling for help and staring with horror at where one of their limbs was supposed to be, or shocked into silence by the sickening sight of their own charred flesh. Other bellowed instructions, trying in vain to organize some kind of defense.

"-Rally to me-"

"-Return fire-"

"-Fall back inside-"

It was a futile hope. Everything lay in utter disarray. Mikhail was sure he heard part of a building collapse. A few shots rang out from the ground, not that they would have any effect on the attacking helicopter.

This was hell.

He had lost his rifle diving for cover from the initial salvo of rockets, but even if he had still had it he would have had no will to fight. He had never enjoyed combat, never wanted to hurt people, and this was clearly a lost battle. He had to get away.

The eerie whine of the helicopter's Gatling guns spinning up descended on the town. Seconds later they began firing, spewing out bullets out at an impossible speed. The enormous rounds tore huge chunks out of anything they connected with, whether that something happened to be made out of concrete or of flesh and bone. Mikhail felt bullets thudding into the road behind him, chewing it up and spitting out lumps of tarmac. A pure, animalistic terror took hold of him.

He had to get away.

* * *

 **Police Plaza, Haven City, The Lower Elements**

Foaly was thoroughly enjoying himself, the tragedy that had recently befallen his close friend momentarily forgotten. Artemis had also had the advanced thinking the equip the helicopter was a variety of sophisticated cameras, scanners and targeting systems. The area may have been dark and hazy to the naked eye, but Foaly could see clear as day and was also armed with the options of thermal, infrared and a sort of crude x-ray mode that Artemis himself had been working on. He couldn't see through walls, but he could get some sense of what might be behind from a series of intricate layers and outlines. It was probably safe to say that the Soviet-era attack helicopter was significantly more high-tech than it had been when it rolled of the production line.

He laughed when he caught sight of bullet tracers originating from the ground. "Can you believe that? They're actually trying to shoot at us! That's cute. And quite rude actually. Let's see how they like it when I do it."

The centaur flicked a few switches and returned fire. Needless to say, the nose-mounted Gatling gun was a lot more potent than the guard's automatic rifles had been.

The effect was immediate. The remaining defenders scattered. Foaly swept the stream of bullets left and right, firing indiscriminately. Men either found cover or were cut down. Literally.

Once he was satisfied that the crew stationed outside the Energetik had been sufficiently decimated, he turned his attention to the building itself. There was movement in a number of the windows. The LEP's early reconnaissance had guessed that the defenders' arsenal even included shoulder-fired missiles, but they had believed them not to be guided. Artemis was rather hoping this was true, as something like a Stinger Missile would knock Butler right out of the sky and throw a rather large spanner in the works of an already precarious rescue.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for a white streak to shoot out of one of the windows. It missed the helicopter by a reasonable margin and exploded against the building opposite, but it reminded Foaly that he and Butler weren't invulnerable.

"Keep moving Butler, make yourself hard to hit," said Artemis over the airwaves, no doubt monitoring the camera feed from the helicopter. "Galadhon, commence your approach. This is as good as it'll get. Foaly, return fire."

The centaur was happy to oblige. He loosed a pair of his own rockets at the rough spot that the missile had originated from, blowing a huge hole in the side of the building. Next he opened fire with the twin machine-guns mounted on the chopper's belly, shattering glass and masonry alike and sending a flood of deadly shrapnel in all directions. Anyone else with a missile would think twice before peeking out to actually fire it.

* * *

 **Energetik, Pripyat, Ukraine**

Kiril Vasiliev was Vladimir Petrenko's right hand man. His faithful lieutenant for as long as either could remember, even when they had been in the Russian Mafiya together. They had committed many atrocities together – or achieved many things together, as they thought of it – and worked to keep each other alive when they had been betrayed by their Mafiya comrades. Naturally, command of the situation in Pripyat had fallen to Kiril in Vladimir's absence.

It wasn't a difficult task. Basically all he had to do was sit around and make sure the prisoner didn't escape while shouting at anyone who complained about something. All in all, quite easy. Quite easy, at least, until everything suddenly became extraordinarily complicated.

It was obvious that something had gone very wrong when the explosions started. The situation had become far more worrying when the relatively tame initial blasts were drowned out by a series of deafening eruptions that shook the very earth on which he was standing. A pair of guards staggered into the room that Kiril had commandeered as an office.

"What the hell in going on?" he demanded.

One of the guards seemed unable to speak, simply making horrified gestures and quietly whimpering. Thankfully the other was more coherent.

"We're under attack," he stated helpfully.

"No shit we're under attack!" bellowed Kiril. "By _what_?"

"Attack chopper," the terrified mercenary explained quickly. "They have a hind. The defense is crippled. We've taken massive casualties and we lost the entire fleet of vehicles."

Kiril swore violently. "OK. Get anyone you can find and fortify the defenses, but stay inside and away from the windows. We sit tight. They can't get the fairy girl without coming in here."

The men nodded and rushed off to obey their new instructions. Kiril stepped out of his office and shouted to the man lounging in the corridor.

"Ivan. Go and secure the prisoner."

Ivan sauntered up to his boss. "Secure her? How exactly do you want me to do that? Oleksandr is supposed to have her on lockdown anyway."

"I don't know, shoot her legs up or something so she can't run and tie her down. Whatever. Be imaginative. I don't care how you do it, just make sure she stays where she is."

Ivan's eyes lit up with sadistic malice. In an instant his demeanor changed from sulky to excited. "I supposed I could… _rearrange_ her legs." He laughed.

Kiril was about to tell him to get on with it when his phone rang. "Blyat," he muttered as he answered it. "Da? What do you want?"

He listened intently for a few moments and hung up.

"That was the boss. New plan. Shoot the fairy in the head and get the hell out of here."

* * *

Holly was growing steadily more impatient. She had sent Oleksandr away after speaking with Artemis, knowing that his presence would prevent his plan from working, but was now finding that the solo wait was just making her agitated.

 _His plan. Could it work?_ she thought. _Surely it would be madness to believe it could work. But still, this was Artemis Fowl they were talking about. What was it he always said? "Madness and genius often go hand in hand". She hoped that today was a genius day._

Wait for the explosions, then disappear. Idiot-proof. "Conceited little Mud Boy," she muttered.

As if on cue, the explosions began, ending Holly's extended wait. Step one complete. From the sounds of things, the detonations themselves were very large and very dangerous. Holly didn't have a lot of sympathy for those who were being targeted.

There would surely now be someone coming to check on her. It was the logical thing to do. It was time for step two.

 _What could possibly go wrong?_ she wondered, and promptly disappeared.

Ivan unlocked Holly's door and it swung open. He tried, he honestly did, but he didn't quite seem to be able to contain his smile. The prospect of hurting people tended to have that effect on him.

Two things struck him the moment he stepped into the cell. The first was that Oleksandr wasn't there. The second was that neither was Holly.

" _Cyka!_ Where is she?" he howled, inhuman rage twisting his features into a vicious snarl. Impulsively he brought up his rifle and fired a swift burst into the cot, the shots buckling the metal and ripping through the mattress, scattering feathers in all directions. The effect was oddly comedic, and therefore extremely out of place. "How the hell did she escape?"

Letting loose a string of exceptionally foul language, the furious Russian stomped out, stopping only to punch the doorframe. A slightly muffled yell of pain followed him, succeeded by another series of expletives.

Holly let out the breath she had been holding, thanking her lucky stars that the obviously unstable Mud Man hadn't sprayed more bullets and randomly happened to hit her, or noticed that some of the feathers seemed almost to connect with an invisible barrier. She lowered the sheet of cam foil that she had been holding in front of herself and considered her situation. Somehow, Artemis's plan had actually worked. Extra sheets of cam foil weren't exactly standard to have lying around, but Holly had found herself needing them so often that she always made sure to carry spares. Apparently, her captors hadn't bothered unwrapping the package that contained them, otherwise they would no doubt have locked it away with the rest of her more dangerous items.

 _Speaking of which,_ she thought, _I miss my neutrino. There's nothing like a weapon to reassure you when your life is in danger._

The human had left the door open – another lucky break for the elf – and presumably gone to tell his superiors that she had escaped, giving her more or less free reign for the time being; at least if she was careful.

She crept out of her cell. If there was another guard then she was sunk, but the corridor was exactly as abandoned as Artemis had predicted: that was to say, entirely so.

Holly raised her communicator to her lips and spoke quietly. "Artemis? I'm out. Amazingly your plan actually worked. Now what?"

Artemis gave a short chuckle from back at base and shook his head in a manner that was half exasperated and half affectionate. "Always the tone of surprise. Of course the plan worked – _I_ was its architect."

"Cut the chatter, Mud Boy," came another voice that Holly vaguely recognized as belonging to one of the strike team captains. "We're on a tight schedule here. Captain Short, hold your position. We'll be with you in a few minutes. Galadhon out."

* * *

 **Pripyat, Ukraine**

Galadhon and his team had been concealed in thick overgrowth about five-hundred meters away from the Energetik when the onslaught began. They had crept that far under cover of darkness, but at the time had dared go no further. After all, who knew what kind of technology these Mud Men had managed to get their hands on? Who knew what horrific surprise could have been waiting for them? Now, though, Artemis's distraction would hopefully permit them to progress with their objectives.

The sounds of Foaly raining death and fire on their enemies rent the air and the skyline was ablaze. The fairies winced, but none felt pity. They had all heard about Trouble Kelp and Retrieval One.

"Keep moving Butler, make yourself hard to hit," said Artemis over the airwaves, no doubt in response to something happening at the Energetik. "Galadhon, commence your approach. This is as good as it'll get. Foaly, return fire."

Galadhon switched to the communications channel occupied only by his team. "Alright people, that's our cue. Let's move out."

The long grass seemed to seethe and come alive for a moment as the twelve camouflage-clad commandos emerged. They stayed low and moved fast, maintaining a v-formation. It didn't take long for them to reach the side of the Energetik. A human, no doubt hoping to escape the annihilation being brought about by Foaly, ran into their path. He was stunned by a neutrino blast before his brain even registered that the fairies were there. Team Storm didn't even break their stride.

Once the target building was in sight, however, things became a tad more complicated. Until now they had been using the plethora of buildings for cover, but in order to actually reach the Energetik they would have to cross a stretch of open ground.

Galadhon raised his hand in a fist, indicating to his team to stop. "Five, Six, Seven and Eight, remain here. Lock down this area and be ready to provide cover fire when we make our exit. Nine through Twelve, move into the building and incapacitate any hostiles you come across. Two, Three and Four – with me. We're going after Holly."

The idea behind the instructions was simple. Foaly was doing an excellent job of causing trouble outside; four members of his team would be ample to achieve similar results from inside the stronghold. Meanwhile he and the others would slip in, retrieve Captain Short and make their way out. There would be so much chaos and confusion that no-one would have any idea what was going on until it was too late. Anyone attempting to interfere with the escape would be neutralized by his sharpshooters waiting at the exit.

Galadhon decided to check what was being said in the main channel as he began his approach. He frowned. It seemed as though Artemis Fowl and Holly Short were trading banter in a spectacular display of unprofessionalism.

"Cut the chatter, Mud Boy," he muttered. "We're on a tight schedule here. Captain Short, hold your position. We'll be with you in a few minutes. Galadhon out."

When reflecting on it later, everyone would agree that it was at that precise moment that everything started to go wrong.

 **A/N: You what? A cliffhanger? _Seriously?_**

 **Yeah, I'm afraid so. I had originally intended (rather naively perhaps) to make the rescue all one chapter, but it was going to be way too long to really justify that. This seems like as good a place as any to split it. I'm genuinely sorry, I don't like to do cliffhangers (particularly ones that are this cheap). I'll try not to make a habit of it xD. I'll also try and get the next chapter up ASAP instead of waiting a week since it's already mostly written, but then this chapter actually _was_ written and it took more than a week to get it up. Ideally I'll update tomorrow or the day after, but in all truth I am still pretty busy so it might end up being longer :(.**

 **I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter (especially the first bit) - writing fast paced violent action is super fun to me apparently. Maybe I should see someone about that. Like I said, I hope it wasn't over the top, but I really wanted to try and convey the brutality of actual conflict (not that I've actually experienced it, thank God). As I'm sure you're all aware by now, I'm certainly not above shamelessly begging for reviews, so...**

 **Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! It makes writing a joy, and obviously helps motivate me to update more. Love you guys :D**

 **-Kio**

 _Yep. Shameless._


	10. Unchained

**A/N: Well, here it is. The second part of the rescue, and also the conclusion to the first part of this story. I had mostly written this before, but decided to completely rewrite it. I had enormous fun doing so, and may have got a little carried away... xD. Regardless, the result is that this is almost nine thousand words (or about twice the length of any of my previous chapters).**

 **I do, however, just quickly want to take a moment to thank everyone who has so far reviewed. Not only is the feedback greatly appreciated, but it really makes my day that people actually enjoy my work. So thank you, kind people of the internet. Don't forget that if you make an account in order review (it's really easy) I can respond to you (you can decide for yourself whether or not that's a good thing xD), but I can't if you don't have account or don't sign in. You'll also be able to follow the story and receive email alerts whenever a new chapter is up if you have an account.**

 **Anyway, I really hope you enjoy :D**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 10;**

 **Hotel Polissya, Pripyat, Ukraine**

Ladislav Petrov liked to consider himself a difference maker. A key piece in any puzzle he was involved in. While he did have the kind of subtle air of arrogance about him that came from repeated experiences of success, he was nevertheless a rather understated man. People tended to overlook him. It wasn't a mistake they had the chance to make twice.

Ladislav had discovered at an early age that he was a phenomenal marksman, and had therefore transitioned into the life a professional sniper with relative ease. It hadn't taken long for him to realize that working on the other side of law was far more lucrative than toeing the line, and within a few years he had earned a nickname that was infamous throughout the criminal underworld. The Guardian. The best that money could buy. Very few knew of his real identity, but everyone knew that if the Guardian came for you, you wouldn't know anything about until it was far too late. In fact, most of his victims were already dead before they had the chance to realize how much danger they were in. His services were extortionate, but Amber had had little trouble convincing him to assist her. _When I'm the most powerful person on the world or under it_ , she had said, _I'll make it worth your while_.

Even so, despite his fearsome reputation, it was easy to forget about the role he might play in proceedings, and that was if you knew that he was there in the first place. Artemis Fowl had known no such thing, and therefore had not seen the need to take appropriate precautions.

Ladislav had been entrusted with helping to defend the Energetik, but he had elected to do so in a slightly more unorthodox way than the casual groups of mercenaries that had simply set up shop directly outside their objective or within in. Instead, he had made himself at home in the in Hotel Polissya, a short distance away from the Energetik.

As soon as he had heard the thunder of explosions, he had made his way to the roof and set up. What he had seen had actually quite impressed him – evidently someone was being rather innovative in their attempts to rescue the kidnapped fairy. The helicopter strategy had completely caught the defenses off guard, raining destruction from above. Disorder was king on the ground, but Ladislav wasn't worried. He had brought with him his favorite sniper rifle, a US made Barret M82. It was very loud, very heavy and very effective.

He now lay on his stomach on the rough rooftop, his head adorned with ear defenders and his focus entirely on the huge weapon in front of him. So far, however, he had been rather unfortunate. Naturally, the helicopter pilot was focusing on targeting the Energetik itself, which had the unintended side effect of denying the Ukrainian sniper a clear shot.

He wondered for a moment about what he was witnessing – certainly the attack was effective, but what was the end goal? Leaving the fairy's prison in ruins wouldn't unchain her. Perhaps they simply wanted her dead so she couldn't answer Vladimir's questions? That was pretty standard for any group that operated with secrecy as a high priority, and these fairies seemed to take secrecy very seriously indeed. Still, there were more effective ways of achieving that than a direct air assault. More likely, the entire thing was some kind of elaborate distraction. It would make sense to launch two simultaneous incursions. He briefly considered whether he would be in a good position to interfere with the second part of the plan.

The diminutive Ukrainian shrugged. It wasn't his job to think strategy, it was his job to… _what was it Amber had said? "Delete" anyone getting in the way?_

His thoughts were cut short, however, when his wait was finally rewarded with a good angle on his target. The helicopter rotated slightly in his direction, targeting a group of guards trying to make their way out of the deathtrap that the Energetik was rapidly becoming.

Ladislav smiled. He could just about make out the pilot through the high-power scope. Even through the darkness it was clear that he was enormous. Taking a deep breath, he lined the figure up in his crosshair. It wasn't a long distance and the night was still, so he had no need to take wind or the bullet drop into account. The easiest shot of his life.

"Sorry big man," he muttered, tightening his finger around the trigger and beginning to squeeze it, ready to fire.

He took a steadying deep breath, and with painstaking care, centered his victim in his crosshairs.

For a split second, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Ladislav pulled the trigger.

* * *

 **Pripyat, Ukraine**

All things considered, Butler was actually incredibly lucky. At the very last moment, Foaly had fired their last salvo of rockets. The resultant force adjusted their trajectory. The change was ever so slight, but just enough to matter.

Naturally, the giant Eurasian had no time to react when the huge, fifty-caliber round slammed into the canopy in front of him. The glass may have been reinforced, but it was old and no match for the modern, armor piercing bullet. A wave of cracks erupted from the point of impact, leaving a perfect, circular hole at their center. Blood splattered the entire interior. The bodyguard's shoulder was, for want of a better word, destroyed.

If the shot had been fired even a fraction of a second earlier, before the rocket salvo, it would have entered his head and killed him instantly. As it was, he was alive. For now.

Butler, of course, knew none of this. All he knew was that he had been fine, and now he wasn't. The pain was instantaneous and spectacular. He was losing a lot of blood. He may be alive, but unless he received immediate medical attention, he wouldn't be for much longer.

As the darkness tugged at the last traces of consciousness, Butler had time for only one thought.

 _D'Arvit._

The shot thundered around the ghost-town. A sort of unnatural silence descended, spoiled only by the sound of rotors. There was no more gunfire. There were no more explosions. Even the yells and shouts had subsided.

Galadhon watched in horror as the attack helicopter veered wildly off to the side and began spinning out of control. After a few moments, the rapidly rotating aircraft crashed into nearby apartment building. The screech of metal tearing rent the air. Galadhon froze for a moment, willing it not to be true. Without the main distraction, it wouldn't take long for the remaining guards to regroup and figure out what was going on.

Around him the rest of his team was immobilized by similar indecision, waiting for his instructions. Galadhon was torn; continuing to push would be extremely dangerous, but the other choice would be to abandon Holly to die.

He never had the chance to make the decision, however, because at that moment a group of mercenaries noticed that there suddenly seemed to be quite a lot of well-armed and unfriendly-looking fairies near them.

"There!" one shouted. "Open fire!"

Galadhon rolled his eyes and dropped low as the first volley of bullets filled the air around him.

"Weapons free," he said calmly, his helmet mic easily picking up the words and relaying them to the rest of team Storm.

The well-trained soldiers responded immediately. In the blink of an eye they had their weapons up and were returning fire. Brilliant white lasers found their mark with terrifying consistency. After only a few seconds, six of the eight humans were down. They weren't dead, but the fairies had upped the setting on their weapons a little above what was recommended – they weren't taking any chances. Any human that was hit would be out cold for at least twenty-four hours. The remaining two scampered back into their stronghold.

"Threats neutralized," reported a member of the team.

Galadhon gave a grim little smile. "Casualties?"

"Negative."

So they were all alive at least. But there was no escaping the fact that they were well and truly compromised now. It wouldn't be long before every uninjured guard had been made aware of their presence and was ready for them. With no air support, they had no chance in an open fight. There was no other option. They would have to leave Captain Short.

Any last doubts about this conclusion were swiftly banished from Galadhon's head as another thunderous shot rang out and the fairy on his left was almost cut in half. He reacted instantly, diving to the ground.

" _Sniper!"_ he yelled. "Take cover!"

As one Storm scattered, finding whatever shelter available to them. Once they were covered, they froze. No-one moved. The fairies barely dared breath, even though they knew full well that their helmets were entirely sound proofed. After the frantic flurry of activity, the sudden stillness felt strange and alien.

No more shots were heard. Eleven sets of eyes were fixed on the mutilated body of their colleague. Apparently fifty-caliber bullets had little respect for Foaly's auto-armor.

Galadhon considered their new predicament. Hopefully the darkness and the smoke would be their ally – it would be nigh impossible for the sniper to pick them off when they weren't out in the open. With their suits' inbuilt insulation, a thermal scope would be useless.

Finally, someone spoke, shattering the agonizing silence. "What now?" asked a member of Storm. He didn't elaborate – he didn't need to. The voice contained a note of something not normally associated with the seemingly unstoppable fairy strike teams; it contained fear. The speaker was scared.

Galadhon couldn't really blame him. It was all of a sudden very clear that they were a long way from home, deep in extremely hostile territory. They were alone, and very much mortal. None of them were really accustomed to being on the disadvantaged team.

Still the sniper held his peace. There was no evidence of activity on the near side of the Energetik. For now, no-one was trying to kill them, but Galadhon knew it wouldn't last.

"Artemis," he spoke quickly into his mic, doing his best to keep his panic from his tone. "Butler is down. I repeat, the chopper is down. We are trapped by sniper fire. We cannot make it inside."

Artemis swore violently. "You can't just leave her!"

"What do you want us to do?" Galadhon shot back. "We'll be massacred if we approach!"

"OK, OK, let me think." Back at base, Artemis closed his eyes in frustration. He gave himself thirty seconds to contemplate the situation. It didn't look good.

He sighed and broke the radio silence. "Captain, can you and the rest of Storm cause something of a distraction?"

"That's your big plan?" growled the Captain. "Another distraction? Maybe you've forgotten but we already tried that one. You want me to remind you what happened to the person doing the distracting?"

Artemis made an odd sound, almost like a little sob. Galadhon dismissed it – it was probably just interference or something. Besides, when the human spoke again, his voice was not broken; in fact, it contained a steel that hadn't previously been there.

"If you think about it, the plan hasn't entirely failed. Holly is free inside the building. All she needs is cover to make her way out. Please, Captain, give her that cover. Surely, she deserves that at least? You don't have to commit to the fight, just fire some shots and throw some plasma grenades. Make sure they know you're still there and maybe Holly can slip out on her own."

Galadhon considered it. He supposed it was possible that they could do it if they moved out of the sniper's line of fire. He was fairly sure that the shot had come from the hotel to the right, so it was feasible that they could do what Artemis was suggesting if they put a building between them and the sniper. Of course he would relocate, but he would be reluctant to give up his vantage point, and then it would take time for him to install himself elsewhere. They could offer a distraction for maybe five or ten minutes, then they would have to fall back. Hopefully that would be enough for Captain Short.

"Alright, Mud Boy," he said reluctantly. "We'll see what we can do. I'll contact her when her window of opportunity opens. Out."

A part of him couldn't really believe he was actually planning to put his team in harm's way again for a scheme of _human_ design, but in his heart he knew there was really no other choice. Holly Short was a true hero, whatever the Council or Internal Affairs said. If she was going to die, she deserved a hero's death. The last thing she deserved was to die with neither friend nor hope, alone in some God-forsaken, toxic wasteland in Ukraine.

"Alright team, listen up," he began. "Today has not been an easy day, and it's about to get a whole lot harder. But make no mistake, we _will_ endure. We _will_ do our bit to get Captain Short to safety because we do _not_ leave people behind. Understood?"

There was a chorus of affirmatives. The tones varied from slightly afraid to downright terrified, but they all held the determination that was characteristic of the strike teams. The determination that made them so dangerous.

"On my mark, we make a break for that building," ordered Galadhon with as much bravado as he could muster, indicating a desolate structure to his left. Hopefully they would be safe there for the time being and would be able to organize at least _something_ that might help Holly.

Galadhon reached down to his belt and plucked from it a relatively innocent looking cylinder. In reality, it was about as far from innocent as was possible – Galadhon was now holding one of Foaly's latest inventions, the "Advanced Multi-Sensory Stun Device". At least, that's what the centaur called it – it hadn't taken long for the LEP officers that saw what it actually did to nickname it the "Lightning Strike". While the humans had developed crude devices to incapacitate people by attacking their senses, (the most notable being the flashbang, which emitted a bright flash and a loud noise, temporarily rendering enemies blind, deaf and disoriented), the LEP were of course always one step ahead. They had long since used far more advanced weapons of this nature, but while working for Section Eight, Foaly had had access to more money than he had sense and decided that what these devices really needed was _more_ firepower. The result had been the Lightning Strike. It was a small cluster bomb that would scatter fifteen induvial flashbang-type grenades that would then detonate, exploding in a blinding flash of staggering potency. Old sonix grenades had also been beefed up and incorporated. While there were no actual bolts of electricity, the Lightning Strike more than lived up to its name.

The top of the canister was marked with a small red circle; it was here that the elf placed his thumb. He took a breath and pushed, depressing the trigger mechanism. The tiny on-board computer accepted his DNA and authorized activation.

"Five seconds to detonation," said the voice of Lili Frond in his ear. Like most LEP equipment, the grenade was synced to his helmet.

"Thanks, Lili," Galadhon muttered and hurled the device in the general direction of the sniper. It landed a little wide of where he was aiming, but precision was hardly paramount with something like the Lightning Strike.

For a few seconds, the world held its breath.

Again, one of Lili Frond's automated remarks came over the airwaves. "Kaboom."

The effect was instantaneous and stunning. A spectacular eruption of brilliant white light lit up the night and a horrific cacophony reverberated around the ruined buildings, mercilessly attacking the ears of any nearby humans. Naturally, Galadhon and his team were entirely unaffected – their helmets contained in-built sonic sponges that immediately expanded to block out the noise, and their visors were the latest design and automatically filtered out dangerous levels of light. The mystery sniper was not so lucky – even from a distance, the weapon would have incapacitated him for at least a few moments.

"Now!" Galadhon shouted, already on his feet and dashing towards safety. The rest of team Storm were not far behind.

* * *

 **Energetik, Pripyat, Ukraine**

For once, Captain Holly Short was actually doing what she had been told. "Hold your position" or "sit tight" was basically just military speak for do nothing, which wasn't something that really appealed to Holly at present. She had spent the previous several days with nothing to occupy her but waiting and fearing, and was not exactly keen on doing it some more. Still, her only other option was to venture out into a hostile area, with no knowledge, weapons or magic, and probably compromise the attempt that was currently being made to rescue her. So she had made herself as comfortable as possible in a corner of the corridor outside her cell, and now sat there with her cam foil close at hand in case she heard any humans coming to check on her.

She was saved from her boredom by a rather unwelcome announcement from her communicator.

"Bad news, Holly," came Artemis voice, sounding distinctly worried. "The situation is not proceeding as planned."

 _Great,_ she thought. Apparently the attempt to rescue her was more than capable of being compromised without her assistance.

"What does that mean for me?" she asked cautiously.

Artemis sighed. "It means you're on your own. At least, for the most part. Team Storm will provide something of a distraction, and we will be in position to evacuate you via shuttle if you can make it outside. Unfortunately, that's something you're going to have to figure out on your own."

"D'Arvit. Why is nothing ever easy?" Holly muttered, half joking, half genuinely exasperated that everything seemed to have a real tendency to go wrong for her and Artemis.

 _Me and Artemis? What exactly is that supposed to mean?_ She rationalized it a moment later – _we are a team. We save the world together. I was thinking of our team as me and Artemis. Perfectly logical._ She didn't bother thinking about why people that were usually also part of that team had been suspiciously omitted from her thoughts.

"Sorry, Holly," said Artemis, and he sounded like he meant it.

"Not your fault, I suppose," replied Holly.

"I wish there was more I could do," Artemis added, his voice barely above a whisper. Holly furrowed her brow. The human boy sounded troubled – deeply so. She supposed it made sense – his friend was in danger. Of course he was worried. But Holly couldn't shake the sense that there was something more. Artemis sounded almost guilty. _He wasn't saying that he was sorry this was happening to me,_ she realized, _he was actually apologizing to me. Why, though?_

Before she had a chance to reach any kind of conclusion, however, her thoughts were interrupted by the very person they pertained to.

"Holly, you need to get moving. Storm can only provide a short distraction, so you need to be in position to escape when they begin. I know nothing about your current surroundings, so I won't try to offer any advice; besides, improvising has always been your area of expertise. Good luck and… just please don't die, Holly. Please."

Holly rolled her eyes. "I don't plan to," she said. Her words may have been sardonic, but she hadn't missed the almost pleading note in Artemis's voice as he had said that last bit. It bothered her, but she didn't have time to worry about that now.

She stood up and muted her communicator. The last thing she needed was for the speaker to start blaring out Artemis's voice if she was attempting to be stealthy.

If she was going to make her own way out, the first thing to do was get her bearings as best as she could. _Based on the sounds of explosions, I'm underground, but not deep; probably just one floor._ The corridor she was in ended in her cell, so she really only had one option in terms of where to go. It wasn't exactly an appealing choice.

"Here goes nothing," she murmured and began creeping in the opposite direction to her cell. She moved cautiously, almost catlike, always listening intently. Humans were rarely subtle unless they knew they had to be in advance – hopefully there would be some kind of sound cue to tip her off if she was approaching any Mud People.

After about a minute of exploring the Energetik's basement, she was no closer to finding a staircase. She had passed by what vaguely resembled a disused movie theater and the remnants of a small gymnasium – which made sense considering Artemis had told her she was being held in what was once a leisure center – but nothing of any actual use.

She was about to curse in frustration, but froze when she heard a noise. A shiver went down her spine when the sound became more distinct. It was unmistakably the sound of footsteps; footsteps that were getting louder with every second. A human was approaching her, and fast.

Holly immediately turned back the way she had come. Her heart was in her throat and voices of fear screamed at her from within her own head, but she ignored them. Right now, there was only space for focus. Focus or die. She stayed as quiet as she could while moving swiftly, hoping to find some kind of safety. She quickly found herself back at the destroyed gym and slipped in through a hole that defiantly wasn't in the original floor plan.

Silently, the elf made her way right into the corner and, after moment of fumbling, had covered herself with her sheet of cam foil. She was entirely invisible to the naked eye.

The footsteps slowed, but continued to come closer. Seconds later, Holly was sure she saw shadows dancing in the dim lighting of the corridor outside the gym.

She held her breath. _Whomever that is, they have no idea I'm here. They probably think I've escaped, so hopefully there'll be searching for me on the surface. Not here. That human probably just came here for a smoke or something. Nothing to worry about. There's absolutely no reason for him to even come in here, right? He'll just walk past and I'll slip by him. Simple._

Unfortunately, it seemed the human hadn't got the memo about walking past, and proceeded to do the exact opposite. As he pushed his way through the narrow hole, Holly recognized the man who had come to check on her cell before – what was his name? Ivan? – and that she had been very pleased to see go. The very obviously violent and unstable man, whom she had only succeeded in making angrier. _Not good,_ she thought, _not good at all._

 _Still, he doesn't know where I am. If the cam foil worked once…_

"Let's play hide and seek," Ivan called out, sounding for all the world like a happy father suggesting a game with a child. His eyes frantically darted around the room. The insanity in them was obvious.

 _Still invisible…_ thought Holly, but she wasn't quite so confident now. Apparently she was right not to be. To her horror, the human drew from his pocket a phone. He raised it to his eye level and tapped the screen a few times.

Holly knew exactly what he was doing, but what she couldn't fathom was why. _How does he know? How does he know I used cam foil, or that a camera can see through it?_

After a moment of scanning the room through his phone's camera, Ivan's face lit up and his mouth twisted into a sinister smile.

"Found you!" he exclaimed in a sing-song voice, his eyes fixed on exactly where Holly was hiding. "I knew you'd be around here somewhere. It's just as well I'm the one that found you - now I get to have some fun. Let's play a new game. The rules are as follows: I hurt you, you scream. Sound simple enough?"

There was only one thought in Holly's head. _Run! Get away from him!_ But that was option at all. As far as she could tell, the only way into the gym was the hole she had originally come through – what looked as if it was once supposed to be the entrance was completely blocked up with rubble and debris. Additionally, her leg was still partially wounded from where she had been shot and the fit Russian man would have caught up with her in seconds.

Holly flinched as Ivan came ever closer, desperately looking around for something she could use as a weapon, but there was nothing.

Ivan laughed. It was a demonic sound. He grabbed a discarded chair and tossed it to where Holly was cowering. She dodged, just in time, but the cam foil was torn and now lay abandoned. She could be seen clearly by human eyes.

Without waiting for his prey to do anything else, Ivan suddenly accelerated, covering the last of the distance between him and the elf with frightening speed. He dived on her, tackling them both to the ground. Before Holly could react, a brutal punch found her face. Ivan straddled her, a triumphant smile plastered across his features. He raised his fist and hit her again.

"Having fun, tinker bell?" he shouted, drawing back his arm for a third strike. Before he could unleash it, however, another human stepped into the room.

"Oleksandr?" Ivan frowned, momentarily confused. "Weren't you supposed to be guarding this-" he gestured at Holly with disgust "-abomination?"

The newcomer didn't respond, instead opting to simply stare impassively at the scene before him.

Ivan shrugged and returned his attention to the elf trapped beneath him. He drew a nasty looking serrated knife from his belt and flashed Holly a smile.

"I wonder what color fairy insides are," he mused as he prepared to cut her.

Dread wormed its way into every bit of Holly's mind. She had no doubt that this human was insane and would do anything he could to hurt her purely for the joy of it. Perhaps she might have had a chance on another day, but injured and starved she was no match for the crazed Russian. She was entirely at his mercy. _I need help!_ she thought desperately. But who could help her? Storm weren't coming. Artemis had done all he could, but his plan had failed. The human youth wasn't likely to come waltzing in to save the day, and wouldn't have been able to do much even if he was there. Butler? Unlikely. The only people there were Ivan and Oleksandr. Her enemies. Unless…

 _Could Oleksandr still be under my control?_ She had no magic left, but she supposed it was possible that he might still be her minion. It was certainly worth a try.

"Oleksandr!" she managed to call, her voice high and panicky. "Stop him!"

Ivan narrowed his eyes and glanced at his comrade, who still hadn't moved. He frowned, slowly piecing together the puzzle.

"You-" he began, but before he could say anything else, Oleksandr raised his rifle and fired a single shot. Ivan's body toppled over, a messy hole in his chest.

Holly didn't move for a few seconds. She was disgusted by the ease with which another life had just been taken, and disgusted by thin film of blood that now covered her. More than anything else, though, she was disgusted by the wave of relief that she herself felt in response to the killing. She couldn't pretend she wasn't glad the man was dead, and she hated that fact.

When Holly finally managed to compose herself, she rounded on Oleksandr. "You didn't have to _kill_ him!"

The Russian shrugged. "You said me to stop him. It was most efficient thing to do."

Holly gaped at him. How could he have such little regard for life? Many fairies pretty much considered humans to be animals and wouldn't have minded so much, but Holly had always hated the idea of killing another living thing, whether it be human, animal or fairy.

She paused to try and collect her thoughts. _Now is not the time for righteous indignation! I still have to get out of here._ If she was honest with herself, she was actually in a reasonably good position now. At the very least, Oleksandr would know where to find an exit. An idea came to her.

"If I pretend to be your prisoner, could you escort me outside?" she asked tentatively.

The big Russian man cocked his head to one side and considered it for a moment. "Da, I think yes," he said after a little while.

Holly exhaled, once again daring to hope that there was a chance she might soon be free.

Oleksandr moved towards her, holding a short a pair of cable ties. "I have these from before," he explained in his broken English. "For tie you up. If I use now, it will make to look more real."

Holly wasn't exactly keen on giving up the use of her hands, but she had to admit it made sense. She gave Oleksandr a brief but encouraging smile and addressed him in his native language.

"Good idea. And you don't have to speak English, I understand Russian."

The elf presented her wrists, and a moment later they were bound. It certainly looked genuine, but Holly was grateful that Oleksandr hadn't tightened the ties properly.

The human then grabbed Holly's arm and directed her out of the gym. Oleksandr moved swiftly and surely, easily navigating the labyrinth of corridors. Before long they were climbing the stairs that had previously eluded Holly. So far they not run into anyone, but it seemed as if that was bound to change once they reached the ground floor.

Immediately Holly could hear the sound of activity. Footsteps and shouts were easy to make out. Some of the fear that had characterized her last few days returned. From the sounds of things, there was no way that they would be able to leave without running into some people.

"Wait," she instructed Oleksandr. Together they hid at the top of the stairs, waiting for Holly's communicator to vibrate.

It didn't take long.

"Captain Short? Still alive, then. We are commencing our distraction. You have maybe five minutes, then you're on your own. Call us if you make it. Good luck."

* * *

 **Pripyat, Ukraine**

All of the remaining members of team Storm had made it to the relative safety they had been aiming for. Now they took a moment to catch their breath.

Galadhon gave them a generous ten seconds to do this before starting to bark orders.

"Alright people, we don't exactly have time to kill here," he said. "Guns up and eyes forward. I'll take point."

Taking point was basically military slang for going first. It meant that you were the first point of contact with any enemies your team encountered. Needless to say, it wasn't a very popular task. Not many people would have described it as "safe". Galadhon could easily have delegated, but he wasn't that kind of Captain. He led by example. Besides, he would need a forward perspective to decide on the best location from which to launch their distraction.

Team Storm followed their Captain out of their refuge and into the street on the other side. It was mercifully abandoned. The fairies stayed low and were careful to keep all angles covered, but they nevertheless made quick progress.

Once they had crept all the way around to the opposite side of the Energetik to where they believed the sniper to be, Galadhon raised his fist, again indicating his troops to stop.

"We dig in here," he announced. "Pair up and spread out. Find a good position and wait for my command."

All twelve team members had predetermined partners for just such an occasion. Unfortunately, one of those partners was currently lying dead with an obscenely large hole in him. The team member designated "Five" looked very lost as his comrades quickly formed pairs and found cover.

"Five, with me and Two," said Galadhon. "We'll set up here."

Only a minute or two later, the entire team had spread out to occupy a relatively large area. All had their weapons trained on the Energetik.

Galadhon looked around him and, apparently satisfied, contacted Holly.

"Captain Short?" he asked. "Still alive, then. We are commencing our distraction. You have maybe five minutes, then you're on your own. Call us if you make it. Good luck."

The Captain then switched back to his team's channel.

"Open fire. Make it loud, but stay hidden. I don't want anyone else dying today."

Some of the guards that had been cowering inside the Energetik had ventured outside, believing the onslaught to be over after the helicopter had been taken down. As soon as Galadhon had given his orders, a flurry of well-aimed Neutrino charges picked most of them off. The rest dived for cover, shouting for help.

Moments later, at least ten more guards flooded out of the Energetik, taking up positions and returning fire. Apparently the distraction was working. _Good luck Holly,_ Galadhon thought. _This is the best chance you'll get._

By this point, the firefight was in full swing. As more human reinforcements arrived it was obvious that they outnumbered the fairies, but Storm had chosen their positions well. In the darkness, advanced technology gave them a big edge – fantastic night-vision filters and sophisticated weapon sights made it easy to pick out enemies. The humans on the other hand, had no such luck. Most were wielding old AK-47s; these were cheap, reliable to a fault, and would annihilate pretty much anything they hit. Unfortunately, hitting the fairies was proving to be no small challenge.

Galadhon sunk a few charges in the general direction a group of humans, causing them to shrink back into cover, before taking the time to carefully line up a shot on a guard spraying wildly in his direction. Once satisfied he squeezed his trigger, letting loose a charge right into the man's chest. He keeled over and didn't get up.

Team Storm's communications were a mess to say the least. Information was being exchanged at a staggering speed. Shorthand was used almost exclusively.

"-new group of hostiles emerging from the left side-"

"-contact, first floor windows-"

"-threat neutralized-"

"-two hostiles pushing us-"

"-tango down-"

"-I'm hit-"

"-Four is down, I repeat, Four is down-"

"-need a medic over here-"

"-requesting suppressing fire, by the truck-"

"-negative, we are pinned down-"

"-threats eliminated by the bench-"

"RPG!"

Galadhon looked up sharply, expertly scanning for the cause of the exclamation. It wasn't hard to find. A rocket corkscrewed from one of the windows towards his team, exploding in a ball of fire.

"Twelve is down! I'm hit too, injured but alive…"

Galadhon swore. "Six through Eleven, focus on the windows! I don't anymore rockets hitting us."

Unfortunately, that left just five fairies to deal with the troops in front of the Energetik. The human force was still being reinforced and was steadily moving towards the fairy positions. Storm wouldn't be able to hold for much longer.

 _How many men to they have in there?!_ Galadhon thought exasperatedly.

A couple of plasma grenades were tossed into areas that had a high concentration of hostiles. Results were mixed, but the spectacular purple explosions would put a dent in the confidence of the humans. They also claimed several lives. _So what?_ he thought callously. _They aren't exactly using non-lethal weapons, why should we?_

Even so, after only another minute, it became clear that Storm's position was untenable. They had already suffered another fatality and two more injuries. Galadhon had to give an order he didn't much like giving.

"Fall back!" he shouted. "Use lightning strikes to cover our exit. Carry the injured. Two and Three, cover the rear with me."

Moments later, two lightning strikes sailed past his head and exploded, taking all the humans out of action for the time being. The respite would be brief, of course, but that didn't make it any less welcome. Galadhon estimated they had about thirty seconds before the majority of the guards regained their senses. It would have to be thirty seconds well spent.

Some members of Storm were already making their way backwards, carrying fallen comrades. Others joined Galadhon in taking the opportunity to stun as many of the staggering guards as possible.

As the humans began recovering, Galadhon gave the Energetik one last look. _I hope that was enough, Holly,_ he thought, before joining the rest of the team making their way to safety. The guards might try and pursue them a short distance, but the fairies could disappear into the overgrowth or any number of abandoned buildings. It wouldn't take long for the Mud Men to give up.

* * *

 **Energetik, Pripyat, Ukraine**

"Alright," muttered Holly. "Let's go."

Oleksandr obliged, again grabbing her by the arm and leading her towards what she fervently hoped was the exit. Holly could hear gunfire outside, and even the odd explosion. She winced. _I really hope they aren't dying for me out there,_ she thought morbidly.

Several armed men rushed past Oleksandr and his "prisoner". They offered some very odd looks, but didn't actually challenge the pair. It wasn't their job to ask questions. Besides, on the face of it, it seemed fairly logical. They were under attack, so things were being adjusted; the prisoner was being moved.

Of course, if they actually stopped to consider it, they would quickly realize that it made no sense at all: if the Energetik was under siege, why move the prisoner from the most secure location within it? Why risk moving her at all? Thankfully, everyone seemed far too preoccupied with the siege in question to think too carefully about it.

A minute or two later, Holly was greeted by a sight that took her breath away. Outside. She stood on the edge of what was once a swimming pool, on the other side of which were a series of French windows that had long since lost their glass. The view wasn't pretty – in fact it was the opposite; Pripyat was ruined and overgrown – but it represented something she thought she had lost, maybe forever. Freedom.

"Hey, you!" shouted a voice from behind her, shaking her from her thoughts. "What are you doing?"

It took a moment for Holly to realize that the speaker – another guard, but not one she recognized – was addressing Oleksandr. Holly held her breath – would her control over the Russian man stay true? She was so close now…

"Kiril wanted the bitch moved," Oleksandr replied easily, rolling his eyes. "Waste of my time of you ask me, but he says he wants her for leverage. Not that helps any us, mind you," he added, spitting on the ground.

The other man seemed to appreciate this – apparently dislike of Kiril was widespread. He gave them another suspicious look, but eventually shrugged and turned away, appearing to accept the explanation. _Or more likely,_ Holly thought, _he's just had a really, really bad night and has decided he doesn't get paid enough to get into a fight about this right now._

"Come on," instructed Oleksandr once the other man had disappeared. He led his prisoner past the swimming pool and through the doors.

After days of pain and imprisonment, Holly finally limped out into fresh air. Her leg hurt, her face was agony, she was covered in blood (not all of which was her own) and she hadn't eaten or slept properly in days. But she was free.

The radiation was even worse out here and the cold was horrific, but in that moment, Holly didn't mind. She simply took pleasure in breathing the fresh, night air. After a few moments, she turned to Oleksandr and raised her wrists.

He nodded, understanding, and drew a knife, cutting her free of her bonds.

Holly looked behind her into the Energetik. No-one was running out after them. This was it. It was over.

She raised her communicator to her lips. "I'm out."

Artemis let out an audible sigh of relief, but Galadhon spoke before the human could say anything.

"Excellent work Captain Short," he said, sounding genuinely relieved. "We have already fallen back. Make your way to any of the abandoned buildings and hide there. If you send us the co-ordinates, we'll come and collect you."

"Actually…" Artemis sounded worried. "Holly, I'm so sorry to ask this of you, but…"

Holly sighed. Perhaps it wasn't over after all. "What is it, Mud Boy?"

"Butler," said Artemis simply. "His helicopter went down, it crashed into one of the old apartment buildings. Please help him."

There was a desperate pleading in Artemis's guilt-ridden voice that Holly had only ever heard two times before. One time was outside a cryogenics institute in London, when he had begged her to heal his bodyguard's fatal bullet wound. The other was outside the Tara shuttle port, eight years in the past, when he had begged her to forgive him.

"Absolutely not," interjected Galadhon. "Butler made a noble sacrifice, but he is surely already dead. I am ordering you not to take unnecessary risks, Captain Short."

Holly scanned the area and quickly identified the helicopter wreckage. The rotors were horribly twisted and body was buckled. It was unlikely that there had been survivors. _Unlikely,_ she thought, _but not impossible. Butler has been a friend to the People, and what's more it sounds like I owe him my life. I can't leave him._

"Sorry, _Captain_ , I'm afraid we're the same rank. You don't get to order me around. Meet you behind the apartment complex." She quickly shut off her mic so Galadhon didn't have a chance to respond.

Before heading to the crash site, however, Holly took a moment to fumble around in her pocket. Her lands closed around the illegal sealed acorn unit that Oleksandr had retrieved for her alongside the communicator and the cam foil. Naturally her captors had not realized the power it could represent, and so had not thought to lock it away.

Holding the acorn tightly, she thrust her hand into the nearest patch of dirt. "I return you to the earth, and claim the gift that is my right," she whispered. The effect was instantaneous. Magic rushed up her arm and into filled her up. She wasn't running hot since the full moon had passed a few days ago, but she had restored most of her powers. Immediately sparks began targeting her various injuries. She allowed them to heal her leg and dull the pain from her face, but she saved the rest for Butler.

Feeling a lot better than she had in a while, Holly Short began her jog to the crash site. Oleksandr followed close behind. She made her way into the complex through a hole in the wall and climbed the stairs to the second floor where Butler had crashed.

Her breath caught when she saw the big man slumped in the cockpit. He looked oddly vulnerable, in a way no-one would ever associate with someone as fearsome as Butler. The canopy was covered in a network of spider web cracks, and the entire front of the aircraft was covered in dents. Still, it didn't look too badly damaged – evidently the old and not maintained building hadn't offered as much resistance as one might expect. It was certainly lucky that none of the fuel or payload had exploded on impact.

Blood was everywhere inside the cockpit, but amazingly Butler was still alive. Just. Wasting no time, Holly placed her comparatively tiny hands on his bulk and whispered "heal". Magical blue sparks erupted from her fingertips, intuitively targeting the bodyguard's gravest injuries. After a moment or two, he was entirely enveloped in a cocoon of magic. But then, to Holly's horror, it stopped. _My magic is spent_ , she realized. Butler was far from healed, but he would live - for now. The pair of them still needed medical attention from a warlock as soon as was feasible.

Obviously carrying the enormous human to safety was entirely out of the realm of possibility, but after extensive exertion and some rather colorful language, Holly and Oleksandr did manage to drag Butler's unconscious form out of the cockpit, down the stairs and into the street behind the apartment complex. Normally it was highly inadvisable to move someone in critical condition after a major healing, but they didn't exactly have much choice – as soon as they had regrouped, their opponents would surely come and investigate the crash site. For the same reason, it was crucial that they not hang around. Holly kept an ear out for approaching humans, but thankfully it seemed that no-one was on their way just yet. Perhaps Artemis's various distractions had done more damage than it had at first seemed.

Holly couldn't stop the first genuine smile of the last few days spreading across her face as the fairy shuttle emerged from the darkness and landed next to her. An elf she didn't immediately recognize was revealed when the doors opened.

"Captain Galadhon?" she guessed. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

The fairy in question gave her a disapproving look to make it clear that he didn't approve of her heroics, but nevertheless helped her aboard. It took five LEP officers in total to carry Butler to the shuttle, but eventually everyone was on board.

"What about him?" asked Galadhon, indicating Oleksandr. The human didn't react.

Holly looked at the Russian man. She was torn – there was no doubt that she owed Oleksandr her life, but it wasn't like he had helped her voluntarily. When acting of his volition, he was probably just as evil as any of the others.

In the end, Holly just shrugged. "Stun him and bring him aboard for questioning and mind wiping I suppose."

Galadhon nodded and ordered one of his team to do so. Once the human was loaded, the shuttle took off.

A part of Holly wanted to just collapse into a chair, but she couldn't resist the temptation to look out of the window instead. Surveying the outside world was a simple pleasure that she wouldn't have considered possible mere hours ago. Exhaustion nagged at the edge of her consciousness, but she wasn't out of adrenaline yet. She grabbed a spare helmet and put it on.

"Foaly?" she asked into the helmet mic.

" _Holly!"_ exclaimed the centaur with exceptional warmth, and suddenly Holly felt a lot safer than she had for a long time. "Are you OK?"

"A little worse for wear, but more or less intact," Holly replied, giving a giddy little laugh. Freedom was proving to be rather overpowering. "What did Artemis actually do? What were all those explosions?"

"That Mud Boy always has a trick up his sleeve." Although Holly couldn't see her friend, she could hear from his tone that he was shaking his head in admiration. "Frond only knows how he did it, but somehow he got hold of an old attack helicopter. Butler flew, I manned the weapons. Made a pretty impressive lightshow. Thanks for rescuing him by the way – I don't know what we'd do without the Big Man watching our backs."

Foaly continued babbling, but Holly wasn't listening anymore. She had just caught a glimpse of the front of the Energetik. She simply stared, an expression of shock forming on her face. The first light of dawn had arrived, allowing her to get a clearer picture of the utter devastation that had been wreaked. The fires were mostly out at this point, but their legacy was all too apparent. Burnt out husks of vehicles lay in pieces and blackened rubble was strewn about. Charred corpses were barely recognizable. It was little wonder that no-one had come to investigate the crash site.

"Gods, Foaly, this was _you?_ "

"Hey, what's with the tone of accusation?" Foaly sounded wounded. "I did my job and the plan worked. You're free. What's the problem?"

"Foaly…" she said quietly. "How many people did you kill last night?"

Foaly shrugged, even though the elfin captain couldn't see him. "Do I care? You know what those bastards did. They can all burn as far I'm concerned. Besides, it doesn't really matter either way. As soon as you're clear we're sending in a bio-bomb. We can't afford to have any of those people running around with fairy knowledge."

At that moment Galadhon looked up sharply, and Holly realized that he had been listening to the conversation.

"What do you mean you're going to bio-bomb this place? That wasn't part of the plan."

"Plans change," replied Foaly nonchalantly. "While you lot were gallivanting around, playing heroes, the council decided to have a closer look at what we were actually doing. Let's just say they weren't too happy about it. They ordered us to bio-bomb the entire area once there are no more friendlies there. In fact, most of them were pretty keen on doing it before you guys were out."

Holly was partially angry, partially confused. Eventually curiosity won out over outrage. "Why did they need to take a closer look at what you were doing?"

Foaly laughed without humor. "Holly, come on, what did you think? Artemis Fowl doesn't exactly do things above board, you know?"

All of a sudden, Holly wasn't looking forward to returning to Haven quite as much as she had been before. In her experience, the council had a real talent for making her life incredibly difficult. She wouldn't be surprised if they were already looking for a way to blame the entire fiasco on her.

 **A/N: So there you have it. Holly is finally free, and that means I get to have her going and being her usual, badass self again soon. She needs to be reunited with Artemis first though, and, well... it might not be the happiest reunion ever. I am certainly not looking forward to writing that conversation D: but then again, it's important to the plot, so I guess I'll just have to suck it up.**

 **Just FYI, the using an illegal acorn to complete the ritual not during the full moon (and only partially restoring magic) is actually done by Holly in canon (in the 5th book I believe...?) so I didn't just make that up xD.** **Also, if anyone knows who Ladislav is inspired by, I will be incredibly impressed.**

 **As ever, please review! I'd love to hear some thoughts on this incredibly long chapter xD**

 **-Kio**


	11. Deceived

**A/N: Be warned, this is not a happy chapter. Proceed at your own risk. Sorry in advance.**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 11;**

LEP Forward Operating Base, Northern Ukraine

Relief washed over Artemis, working its way into every crack of his mind. This was it. Done. Over. Holly was alive. Butler was alive.

Of course, that meant a very uncomfortable conversation was on the way. Artemis couldn't imagine his elfin friend would be very pleased not only to hear that her oldest friend was dead, or that Artemis was to blame, but that he had also expressly lied to her about it. Even so, in that moment, he wouldn't let his worries ruin the feeling of happiness.

 _Holly is alive. No-one can take that away from me now. Even if she hates me, she can't take that fact away from me._

Artemis may have possessed the greatest human intellect of his time, but for now he seemed only able to concentrate on that one idea. The thought just kept echoing around his head.

 _Holly is alive._

An LEP technical consultant had to say his name thrice, the volume increasing each time, before he actually got Artemis's attention.

"What?" snapped the human, not bothering to hide his irritation at having his thoughts disturbed.

The LEP techie, a pixie, withered under Artemis's practiced glare. "Mister Artemis Fowl, sir, I, um, Mister Foaly ordered me inform you about something," he said in a rather small voice.

Artemis's demeanor changed immediately. If Foaly thought he should be informed, this was surely important.

"Well? What is it?"

"Mister Foaly wanted me to tell you that, err, the council has ordered Pripyat to be bio-bombed. The launch is scheduled for two minutes. The escapees should be clear by then. Oh, and he wanted me to give you this."

As he finished speaking, the pixie tossed Artemis a headset. The human boy (perhaps surprisingly) managed to just about catch it. He put it on immediately. The ears were filled by the voices of his friends.

"You can't just bio-bomb them! That's cold blooded murder!" That would be Holly then.

"Look, Holly," this voice belonged to Foaly. "I understand that you are trying to do the right thing, but we really don't have a choice. The council didn't really seem in the mood to negotiate."

"Excuse me," Artemis interjected before Holly could respond. "But are you sure that this is the smartest move right now?"

"Ah, Mud Boy, wasn't sure if you'd make it. That pixie is about as reliable a promise made by Opal Koboi to not be evil. Please do me a favor and tell Holly that she is being unreasonable. I mean, we have direct orders from the council! And besides, they're actually right for once. We can't risk having all those criminals running around with knowledge of fairies!"

"It's still _murder_!" shouted Holly, before Artemis could respond. "And I am _not_ being unreasonable!"

Foaly ground his teeth audibly in frustration. "I would have thought that, after what they out you through, you would understand the most that these people are _evil._ It's not murder if they're evil, right?"

Artemis considered his response extremely carefully. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was antagonize Holly considering what he was going to tell her when she got back.

"I'm not sure it would be wise to further provoke the council at this time," he said, as neutrally as he could.

"You _agree_ with him?"

"Not really. But I'm more concerned with what happens to us – especially you – when the council decides they need a scapegoat. I hardly need remind you of all people that giving them ammunition is unlikely to end well."

That shut Holly up for a few moments. Artemis took advantage of the pause to continue.

"Besides, I'm having a hard time feeling sympathetic considering that these people just came spectacularly close to killing my two best friends."

The debate would likely have persisted and grown only more agitated, but unfortunately the bio-bomb had been ordered to be fired as soon as was conceivably possible. As Artemis finished his sentence, the shuttle containing Holly and the remainder of team Storm happened to cross the border of what the LEP had designated the "danger zone", meaning that the bio-bomb could now be fired safely. Which it was.

Artemis saw the sleek little missile streak away from the LEP base and toward Pripyat. It still scared him how deadly they were. He was vaguely aware that Holly was soldiering on with her case.

"Too late, Holly," he said softly, watching the missile disappear into the distance. "What is done is done."

Seconds later the sky lit up a brilliant blue. Deadly light flashed and filled every desolate building. Pripyat became a ghost town once again. Artemis was surprised to realize that he really did regret it; who knew how many lives had just been taken? He wasn't naïve, he understood that the decision made sense, but he still wished there had been another way.

The elation that he had felt when he it initially became clear that Holly and Butler would live was entirely gone now. Perhaps a younger Artemis would have been pleased that his enemies had been served justice and that his friends were safe, but now he felt only sadness.

 _How many people have died for this? Trouble, Retrieval One, members of team Storm, that innocent little girl, probably at least fifty mercenaries and criminals… Not Holly, though. She is safe._ It was a bittersweet thought. _Holly was safe a week ago. Now she is safe once again, but at what cost? Whoever did this, they have achieved nothing other than death._

It just so happened that Artemis was wrong about that. Dead wrong. The person responsible hadn't achieved all of their aims, but they had ended up with ten tons of gold that they hadn't had previously and were now in a perfect position to instigate the next stage of their plan. All in all, this person was actually quite pleased with themselves…

* * *

 **Nebula Facility, Location Unknown**

Vladimir Petrenko was speaking to Amber when his phone rang. Well, speaking probably wasn't the right word. Listening to Amber monologue might have been a better description.

"Excuse me, mistress," he said, giving a small bow and hoping that the centaur didn't decide to take offence at the interruption. He took out his phone and jabbed the "answer" button. "Da?"

"Petrenko. We have a problem."

Vladimir swore under his breath. The voice belonged to Ladislav Petrov, and he wasn't a man who called without good reason. He also wasn't the kind of man who engaged in unnecessary melodrama. Whatever this was, it wasn't good, and Amber definitely wasn't going to be pleased. He switched the phone to "speaker" mode so that his mistress could chip in if she needed to.

"What problem?" he asked tentatively.

"We lost Pripyat."

"What the hell do you mean you _lost_ Pripyat?" Vladimir shouted.

"Blue rinse. Everyone is presumed dead."

Amber chose this moment to chime in. "The fairy!" she shrieked. "What about the elf? Is she alive?"

Ladislav seemed unsure. "Unlikely. They attempted a rescue with a human helicopter and a fairy team but with my assistance the assault was repelled. They never got into the Energetik. The elf must have been killed in the blast."

Amber shook her head violently. "No, no, no, no, no!" she ranted. "Fowl did this. He must have done! If Fowl is involved, nothing is as it seems. Nothing can be taken for granted. Unless you saw her die, she may well have survived. In fact, even if you _did_ see her die… we must proceed under the assumption that Holly Short and Artemis Fowl are alive and well. D'Arvit, I wanted her _dead!_ "

"Mistress," began Vladimir cautiously. "Is it really possible she survived? You said yourself that we have little to fear from Fowl…"

Amber looked ready to throw something. The madness in her eyes was more pronounced than ever. "You incompetent fool! We have _everything_ to fear from Fowl. He is the single greatest threat we face. He defeated the great Opal Koboi – twice! Together with Captain Short… no. It is too great a risk."

Vladimir had no idea who the great Opal Koboi was, but it didn't seem like a good time to mention that.

Amber paused for a few moments, eventually seeming to calm down a little. "Petrov – kill the Fowl boy."

"My pleasure," came the calm reply from Vladimir's phone.

"If he tracked Short to Pripyat, he can track us here," Amber continued. "Vlad, he will connect you to the plot and he will know a fairy helped you. He will try to find you, and if he finds you then he finds me."

The large Russian man tried hard to look offended. Unfortunately, he bore slightly too much resemblance to a bear to pull it off. "Mistress, you must understand, I would never betray-"

"Idiot! They have _magic_!" Amber shouted. "One tickle of the _mesmer_ and you would be singing like a bird. No, you must not be captured. You will remain here until I see fit to allow you to leave."

Vladimir wasn't entirely unhappy with this suggestion. If Amber was right (which she usually was) then he was basically Fowl's only lead, and would therefore soon become the target of a manhunt from one of the world's most dangerous criminals and the extremely well-armed fairy police. Staying inside Amber's fortress was a lot more appealing than taking his chances outside.

Apparently Amber hadn't finished thinking aloud. "This actually isn't too much of a disaster… we should still be able to execute our plan without interference."

The centaur then gave a sadistic smile that terrified even Vladimir, her eyes alight with malice. "And if by some chance the good Captain does manage to cause us any more inconvenience after dear old Arty has been removed, I will subject her to a… _fitting_ punishment."

* * *

 **LEP Forward Operating Base, Northern Ukraine**

The LEP crew that had manned the base for the last few days were already packing it up. A part of Artemis took a moment to appreciate the remarkable efficiency with which they worked – all the tents and gadgets seemed able to be folded up into small packages, which the LEP employees did with practiced ease - but most of his thoughts were elsewhere. Holly's shuttle would be landing momentarily.

As if on cue, the hulking black craft materialized out of the dawn mist, unshielding and landing. The landing itself wasn't quite as smooth as Artemis was used to seeing, confirming his guess that Holly probably wouldn't be piloting after her ordeal. The doors opened.

Artemis knew it should feel good to actually see Holly again, after everything she had been through, but he couldn't quite bring himself to smile. Meeting her eyes seemed like a rather tall order as well.

The elf, apparently, did not share his concerns.

"Artemis!" she called and rushed forward to hug him. Needless to say, the display of trust and affection did little to improve the human's mood.

"Hold up," shouted Galadhon, moving toward the pair. "Captain Short needs urgent medical attention. Same goes for your bodyguard. You can have your adorable little reunion later."

 _Adorable?_ thought Artemis sarcastically. _Not when she finds out I lied to her. Again._

The trio watched as Butler was transferred from the shuttle to a stretcher. It was messy, but (to their credit) the LEP officers did eventually manage it. Artemis fervently hoped a stretcher that was made for beings about a meter tall could support the man's enormous bulk.

Holly turned to her human friend, her eyes warm. "Alright, Mud Boy," she smiled, giving him a light punch on the shoulder. "Catch up with you later. Thanks for getting me out of there."

Artemis averted his gaze. "Don't mention it," he muttered.

He and Galadhon stood side by side without speaking for a minute or two, watching as Holly joined Butler and the two were escorted toward the medical area (which had deliberately remained intact for this exact reason).

It was Galadhon who finally broke the silence. "She'll be OK, you know. Radiation might knock a few years of her life, but a few minutes with a warlock should mostly fix her up. Your bodyguard too."

Initially, the boy said nothing. This was merely confirmation of what he had already suspected, after all. But he knew there was a question that needed asking.

"What happens now?"

Galadhon shrugged. "In a few moments, what's left of Storm will head back to Pripyat to ID the bodies and round up any survivors that managed to get clear. We grabbed one of them when we were leaving – nasty piece of work called Oleksandr Orlov – so we'll formally interrogate him under the _mesmer_ and see what information we can gather."

Another silence followed. Eventually, Galadhon turned to Artemis and looked him in the eye. "You did good today, kid," he said. "They wouldn't have made it back if it wasn't for you. As for Trouble, don't beat yourself up about it. Mistakes get made. There's no way you could have known what would happen."

Artemis refused to speak. Perhaps on another day he would have made it very clear that he was certainly not a "kid", or even offered thanks for the praise – after all, he was becoming more civil all the time. But not today. Finally, he managed to say the only thing that he could think of.

"I _didn't_ know what would happen, not I _couldn't._ There is an important difference. I could have and should have known better. But I didn't, and now people are dead."

The boy set off before Galadhon could respond, walking briskly in the direction that he had seen Holly and Butler go without looking back. This was as good a time as any. Holly had to know that Trouble was dead, and it was far better coming from Artemis himself than someone else.

It didn't take long to find the designated medical area. It pretty much just consisted of two small tents and a larger one, arranged in the shape of a three-pointed star. Artemis headed towards the largest tent and poked his head through the flap. On one side, Butler's stretcher lay discarded and the bodyguard slept on an improvised double bed next to it. On the other side, Holly sat on what vaguely resembled a camp chair, conversing with a middle aged – in fairy terms – elfin warlock.

Holly turned as soon she heard Artemis enter, breaking into a smile when she saw him.

Artemis avoided her gaze, instead locking eyes with the warlock. "How is he?" he asked, gesturing at Butler.

"He should make a full recovery," came the reply. "Bit banged up, but nothing serious. Although, if he had been left much longer, there would have been serious risk of permanent brain damage."

Artemis turned from Butler's unconscious form to Holly. "Thank you – truly – for helping him. I don't know what I would do without him."

"I save his life, he steals my hospital bed," Holly joked, rolling her eyes.

"And you? Will you make a full recovery?"

The warlock answered the question for her. "Mentally – she should be fine, although I'm not fully qualified to judge. I will recommend that she sees a certified mental health professional once she returns to haven; victims of kidnapping often experience at least some level of emotional trauma. Physically – more or less. Her body will function perfectly well and there will be no permanent scarring, but the radiation will have serious long term affects. At worst, it could cut her life expectancy in half."

Artemis's shock was written all over his face. "Half?" he echoed, his normal eloquence entirely forgotten. "You have magic; surely there must be something you can do…?"

The elf shook his head. "Not me I'm afraid. Purging her system of the toxins requires magic that elves have not possessed for millennia. The only thing I can think of would be if you could somehow organize a healing from the demon warlock – what was his name? Number One or something ridiculous? – that was recently recovered from Hybras. I'd wager he could do it, but don't get your hopes up. From what I hear, the LEP command keep him under very tight guard. Every average Joe off the street doesn't get access to demon magic unfortunately."

Holly and Artemis shared a look. They both knew that Holly was hardly an "average Joe", and that they might have some influence with the little demon on account of being two of his closest friends in the world.

Artemis breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, if that is all, I would like a private word with Captain Short."

The warlock nodded and left. Holly raised an eyebrow at her human friend.

"We need to talk."

"I guessed that," replied the elf, growing increasingly concerned. "What about?"

Artemis twisted his interlaced fingers, seemingly unsure of exactly what to say. He carefully did not meet Holly's eyes.

"Firstly," he began. "I wish to apologize. I asked you to visit me. That fact caused everything that followed. What happened to you… it was because of what I did. I'm sorry."

Holly almost wanted to laugh. "Silly Mud Boy," she said. "Is that what's been bothering you? All this guilt because you think it's your fault I was kidnapped? Listen, Arty, you can't blame yourself for this. The first time I was kidnapped, I was there to complete the ritual after tangling with a troll – blaming you now would be like blaming the troll then."

Artemis took a moment to silently berate himself. Had he really allowed his guilt to be so obvious? He would have to keep a tighter leash on his emotions in the future.

For her part, Holly suddenly felt very foolish for thinking that that was what had been causing Artemis so much grief. The troubled teen did not seem to have to been cheered up by her analogy. _Of course he wasn't - that wasn't what was bothering him. Artemis Fowl doesn't let such things cause him so much distress. There is something much bigger._ The thought worried her. A lot.

"Holly," said Artemis, his voice barely above a whisper. "Trouble Kelp is dead."

Holly froze. Her whole body had gone cold. She couldn't move. Blood in her veins turned to ice. Trouble dead? It couldn't be. It couldn't. He had always been there for her. Always. Ever since she was a child he had been her rock. She was vaguely aware that she might be going into shock, but she didn't much care. In fact, she welcomed the numbness. It was far better to feel nothing but emptiness than the pain that would come later.

"How?" she eventually managed to croak. "In… in the rescue? He died trying to save me?" The thought was almost too terrible to contemplate.

Artemis looked haunted. "No," he said. "And yes."

Holly gave him a look that lacked comprehension.

"No, he didn't die in the rescue, but yes, he did die trying to save you."

Holly's face underwent several visual changes as she tried to absorb what she was being told.

"When? How?"

Artemis reached out and, in a rare gesture of physical contact, placed his hand over hers.

"A bit more than a day ago. He was murdered alongside his fairies with a bio-bomb. Killed by the same people that abducted and tortured you."

It took Holly a moment to work through the information. Once she realized what conclusion she was heading towards, she began to shake.

"More than a day ago… that's before we spoke. Why. Did. You. Not. Tell me?" she asked slowly, her tone low and dangerous. She shook off Artemis's hand and glared at him. "Well?" she demanded.

"Not before we spoke…" answered the boy hesitantly. "…during."

Holly felt like she been physically punched. Maybe there was some kind of reason why this wasn't what it looked like. _Please,_ she thought desperately, _please…_ _He wouldn't. He…_

 _He wouldn't what? Knowingly and intentionally lie to you?_ her other side taunted cruelly. _Isn't that what you told yourself last time? How about the time before that?_

It couldn't be true. But it was. She was sure of it. " _I had to contact a colleague elsewhere. In light of your information I decided it would be wise to instruct him to withdraw lest he be in danger._ "That must have been the call he had made. He had found out about Trouble. _And he lied to me_. She was desperate to deny it, but she couldn't ignore the certainty in her gut.

Holly was speechless. She just sat there in shock. One of her best friends was dead, the other had betrayed her. It was too much to process.

Artemis leaned forward, his face highly concerned. "Holly?" he asked. "Holly, say something. Please. Please understand, I had to… I couldn't risk you being distracted.

"You…" his voice broke. "You had to live. You had to. There was no other choice. Please…"

Before Artemis had time to flinch or even widen his eyes, Holly's fist hit him square in the face. The boy collapsed in a heap and looked up his attacker. Holly stood over the human, her face twisted in anger.

"Don't you _dare_ pretend like this was you trying to do the right thing," she shouted. "It doesn't suit people like _you_."

Artemis was too stunned to be hurt. "You hit me," he said in disbelief. It was exactly what he had said when Holly punched him in Fowl Manor after escaping from her cell, six years ago.

"Twelve again, are we?" replied Holly nastily. "Fitting, don't you think?"

Fearing further assault, Artemis cautiously got his feet and backed away. "I'm so sorry, I know you're hurting right now, and I know I've only made that worse. But please believe me, I only did what I thought would give you the best chance of escape."

"Don't lie. This wasn't about me; this was about you. Just like everything else. Artemis Fowl doesn't do things for other people."

The remark cut Artemis deeply, even Holly could see that, but she didn't care. A part of her was on the verge of hitting him again. She ignored how harrowed and broken the boy in front of her looked, instead choosing to focus on her own pain. It wasn't hard. The hatred came easily.

Artemis sat down. For a while he didn't say anything. When he did, his voice was haunted.

"You think this is all a game to me, don't you? That for me, the world is just one big game of chess, and that you and Butler and the LEP are all just pieces that I manipulate to try and win?" Holly didn't respond, but her expression told him that that was exactly what she thought right now. Artemis shook his head. "I tried that. I tried treating the world as a game, and I lost. I made the wrong moves, time and time again I got the people I cared about hurt, and finally I got Trouble killed. It was me. My fault. No-one else's."

Holly still refused to speak. She seemed like she was trying to decide if this revelation made her even angrier or not.

"I have to bear that," Artemis continued. "Every day I have to remember that it was me that got him killed. Holly, if you want to hate me, fine, but do it for the right reasons. Hate me losing you Trouble, but don't hate me for trying to save you."

"Don't tell me what to do, Mud Boy," Holly warned, flexing her fist. "I'll hate you for whatever reason I want."

Artemis gave a hollow laugh. A solitary tear slipped unbidden out of his hazel eye, the one that had once belonged to the elf that stood before him.

"You really don't understand, do you?" he said, still not looking at his friend. "You nearly died, Holly. You nearly _died._ How could I live with that, knowing that it was my fault. Knowing I sacrificed Trouble to try and save you, and then failed to do so."

"Stop trying to make out like it was you lying that saved me. Contrary to what you seem to believe, I _am_ capable of doing my job, even if I am upset. I'm not some pathetic child who can't control my emotions – I'm an adult and a professional soldier."

Holly's certainty seemed to amuse Artemis slightly. "Ignore grief, Holly? Trust me I am fully aware of your impressive capabilities as a soldier – they've saved my life on more occasions than I can count – but it doesn't matter how good you are at your job; no-one can simply disregard the loss of a close friend. You want to talk about twelve-year-old me? Even he – as cold and detached as that monster was – couldn't ignore grief. And you are nothing like him. Don't _ever_ try and be like him."

Something about what Artemis was saying managed to penetrate Holly's aura of fury, but she dismissed it. As tragic as Artemis looked in this guilt-ridden state, she refused to be weak. She would not allow herself to feel sorry for him.

"You talk about _that monster_ like he's another person. Don't kid yourself – that person is _you_."

The tormented boy continued as if she hadn't spoken, his eyes still fixed on the floor. "Do you have any idea how close you actually came to dying?" he said softly. "My plan was so desperate and precarious that I'm still surprised I ever even _considered_ going ahead with it. So many things went wrong, and you know what? We were still incredibly lucky that it worked even half as well as it did. I had to do everything in my power to give you the best chance of success. If you had been even slightly distracted, for a moment, everything could have fallen apart."

Holly stayed quiet this time. Even Artemis didn't realize quite how close things had got inside the Energetik. She knew that she was spectacularly lucky to be alive. Still, that didn't mean she was going to forgive him.

Artemis stood up and, for the first time since she had returned, locked eyes with the elf. Holly was struck by how empty her own eye looked as it stared back at her.

"I've made so many mistakes, caused so much misery, and I will live with that until the day I die. But it is also true that you are alive right now because of me. And that makes everything else worth it. Even if you refuse to ever speak to me again, it's worth it. I've seen you die once already - never again. I don't care what the cost is, because the alternative is too terrible."

Leaving Holly Short in furious silence, Artemis Fowl turned to leave. He walked to the tent entrance, but paused before leaving.

"I know that I used to be a monster, but… you said I changed. You sat with me and told me I wasn't that person anymore…" his voice was pleading, but so quiet that Holly barely heard him. It took her a moment to piece together what he had actually said, and another to realize that he was begging her to take back what she had said before.

The elf said nothing.

With one last look at Holly's defiant face, Artemis gave up. Distraught, he walked away, leaving Holly alone with her thoughts.

For a time, Holly simply stood there, unseeing, uncaring, allowing her anger to slowly dissipate. Eventually, the reality of the situation seemed to finally sink in. Trouble was gone. She would never see him again, never get to say goodbye. Suddenly, remaining standing felt like an incredible task. The elf sat down hard, dichromatic eyes shining with unshed tears.

When Opal had murdered her long-time friend and mentor, Julius Root, Holly had had someone tangible to blame. Someone to hate. But now all she had was some faceless demon with no name, and no identity. Some evil that had had her tortured and taken her friend. Some mystery foe that had torn her apart. She wanted nothing more than to vow some kind of dark retribution, but she didn't even have a target for it. One thing was for sure, though, she would find the person responsible for all this, and they would pay. She didn't care how long it took. She would make it happen.

If her previous suspicions were correct, then this person was planning war between fairies and humans, but saving the world was almost an afterthought. A secondary reason to hunt them. A big ball of hatred had been born, and it would have to be dealt with. And right now, Holly could only see one way of doing so, and it involved a neutrino set to a far higher setting than was recommended.

And Artemis? Holly's heart lurched. _Why, Artemis, why? Why don't you ever learn? Why don't you ever stop hurting me?_ She wasn't angry any more, just sad. She remembered something Foaly had said a long time ago when she had first suggested that she and Artemis could be friends. " _Sure, like you can be friends with a viper."_ Was he right? Had she spent all this time trying to change someone that couldn't be changed, befriending someone that would always be poisonous? She didn't want to believe that that was the case, but one thing was for sure: whatever friendship they may have had in the past, it was gone now. She wasn't going to let him hurt her anymore.

Holly Short put her head in her hands and cried.

 **A/N: Well, writing this pretty much broke my heart. Proof-reading it made me want to cry. I'm sorry. Obviously this is not actually the end of their friendship, in fact it says something similar in the sixth book (something like all Holly could Artemis could ever have was grudging respect, and obviously this did not end up being the case). However, there will be a short period during which Holly is not exactly keen on her human friend. Bear with it, they will make up eventually :)**

 **I know Holly was pretty savage here, but she needs something to feel bad about it later - she can't just be a victim. It's also worth noting that there is a genuine plot related reason for Artemis lying to Holly and the ensuing conflict.**

 **There will be a few more chapters of "aftermath" after this, but then we'll get back into the action. In the mean time, reviewing is always an option :D**

 **-Kio**


	12. Empty

**A/N: You'll be pleased to hear that this chapter isn't quite as depressing as the last one. Yay!**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 12;**

 **LEP Forward Operating Base, Northern Ukraine**

 _"Artemis Fowl, listen to me! You are not being fair to yourself."_

" _Holly, I understand you only wish to aid me in my attempts to redeem my sanity, but today is not one of my good days." Artemis tapped a steady rhythm as he spoke. Holly didn't need to keep count to know that the taps came in groups of five. Not that that stopped her from counting anyway. "I think I would prefer it if you would permit me some time to myself."_

 _"Nope, you're not getting rid of me that easily," replied Holly, forcing herself to smile despite her frustration. "How can you say those things and then expect me to not challenge you?"_

 _"I don't follow you, Holly," said Artemis evasively, still tapping._

 _"Don't avoid the issue. You sit there and act like you're some kind of monster. Atlantis is partially caused by guilt – we've been over this a thousand times. You'll never recover if you don't let go of that guilt."_

 _"I see, perhaps you're going to inform me that the events I was lamenting did not, in fact, take place?" said Artemis sarcastically._

 _"That's not the point!"_

 _"Isn't it? So you do not deny that I kidnapped you, held you against your will and psychologically abused you?"_

 _"Artemis-"_

 _"No? What about when I deliberately tricked you into thinking that you had single handedly caused a plague and likely doomed my mother to death?"_

 _Holly took a deep breath. Arguing with Artemis could be infuriating at times – the Mud Boy was just so stubborn! "Artemis-"_

 _"Not denying that that happened, Holly? What about when I almost, out of sheer selfishness, compromised Haven to John Spiro?"_

 _"Fine," Holly conceded. "You are correct; those things did happen. But-"_

 _"And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The list goes on seemingly indefinitely. Tell me, Holly, truthfully; do those sound like the actions of a good and moral man? Or do they sound like the actions of a monster?"_

 _Holly sighed. Patience was key here. Sometimes she wanted to just shake her human friend until he was back to normal, other times she wanted to cradle his head in her hands and count to five with him. Artemis had changed so much, but persuading him of that was no small challenge. Once the boy had an idea in his head, it was almost impossible to shake it loose. And right now, he'd managed to convince himself that he was evil and didn't deserve to get well. Great._

 _"Artemis, it doesn't matter what you did in the past. You've more than redeemed yourself already!"_

 _Artemis looked confused. Sometimes the Atlantis made it hard for him to get his head around something that he couldn't immediately reconcile with his skewed perception of the world._

 _"Redemption…? I don't understand how…" he said hesitantly. After a quick pause, he decided to fall back to more familiar ground. "No. I'm a monster, Holly."_

 _The elf was shocked at how the boy's voice became so much surer, and how he seemed so pleased with himself for managing to reach a conclusion. She reached out and placed her hand on Artemis's, closing her fingers around his and stopping him from tapping. He looked a little uncomfortable, but didn't reject the gesture. That was encouraging in itself. Holly squeezed his hand and spoke from the heart._

 _"Once upon a time, maybe," she said quietly. "But you've changed. You're not that person anymore."_

"Artemis Fowl?"

Artemis looked up slowly, not bothering to try and hide his bleak expression.

"Your ride's waiting."

Artemis nodded once, hoping the LEP officer would leave him alone.

"And Captain Galadhon wants to speak to you before you leave."

Artemis closed his eyes. _Courage,_ he told himself. _I will_ not _fall apart!_

"Very well then, lead on," he answered, trying to keep his voice even. He wasn't entirely sure he succeeded, but it was the best he could do.

Without waiting for further discussion, the officer began walking away, gesturing for Artemis to follow. Grumbling quietly, the human gave up the comfort of his chair and stood up. It was harder than he remembered. Reluctantly, he allowed himself to be lead to Galadhon.

The elf in question didn't bother wasting time on greetings once he saw Artemis. The human was grateful.

"Fowl," Galadhon began matter-of-factly. "We've investigated the kill zone and interrogated Orlov. We found one of the members of Petrenko's syndicate alive – he claims to have fled during the helicopter assault, says his name is Mikhail Kostin. He surrendered without incident and was also _mesmerized_ and questioned."

Artemis did his best to focus. "So did you end up discover any useful information, Captain?"

Galadhon grimaced. "Useful, yes. But not encouraging."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Go on then. What was it that you found out?"

"According to both of them – and this is concordant with what Foaly was able to gather from human records of the group – Vladimir Petrenko is the top dog, and a man named Kiril Vasiliev is his second in command. Both are deeply unpleasant people. Obviously they couldn't have pulled this off without fairy assistance. As we understand it, Petrenko was meeting with this fairy or fairies at the time of our rescue. Vasiliev, however, was at the Energetik."

Artemis furrowed his brow. "So what is the problem? Presumably he was killed there?"

"He _was_ there. He isn't there anymore. We looked everywhere, believe me. His body is _not_ there."

Now that he fully understood what Galadhon was getting at, Artemis's expression darkened substantially.

"So now one of Petrenko's most senior people is free with knowledge of the People," he surmised.

"Precisely," confirmed Galadhon. "Hardly an ideal situation, I'm sure you'll agree. We _need_ to find him. And, although I'm sure my superiors would disagree, I'd like to ask for your help in that. I'll understand if you say no, after all, you've already done more than your fair share in this mess."

Galadhon was of course referring to Artemis's commendable efforts to rescue Holly, but the boy couldn't help but think of Trouble and what his actions had cost.

"What exactly do you need?" he asked cautiously.

"Consultation, basically. Of course Foaly's going to be working overtime trying to track Vasiliev and Petrenko down, but I'm guessing he could use another genius to give him a hand."

"I'll see what I can do. Anything else that I should know from your interrogations?"

Galadhon looked uncomfortable. "The leaders might not be the only one to escape the bio-bomb. Both our prisoners mentioned a girl, described as young, pretty and armed with two swords, whom they knew only as Natalya. But they said she terrified Petrenko and Vasiliev. We found no body fitting the description and there are no records of the group having any affiliation with such a person. They also mentioned someone called "The Guardian", but we couldn't find any records of such a person existing. Honestly, I don't know what to make of it."

Artemis was equally flummoxed, but he knew that if anyone was an expert on mysterious underworld figures, it was his bodyguard. "Has Butler regained consciousness yet?" he asked Galadhon.

The elf nodded and looked slightly guilty. "He wanted to see you but… he scared some of the LEP officers. They put him on the shuttle and threatened to stun him if he moved.

Artemis sighed. "OK. I'll look into your phantom escapees and help Foaly."

Galadhon looked skeptical. "Just like that? No fees?"

"Yes, actually," said Artemis, narrowing his eyes. "There is a greater issue here, I'm sure of it. When I spoke to her before… Captain Short theorized that someone may try and orchestrate a war between the humans and the People. Naturally, it is imperative that we prevent this from occurring."

Apparently satisfied, Galadhon thanked the human and showed him to the shuttle that had been prepared for him.

"The pilot will take you to Fowl Manor and drop you there. Foaly will be in touch," the elf told Artemis. "You won't be… _difficult_ I presume?"

Artemis shook his head, too exhausted to care much anymore, and boarded the shuttle.

Butler, even though still recovering from his injuries and under strict orders not to compromise that process, rushed to engulf his young charge in a crushing bear hug the instant he laid eyes on him. Once he was satisfied that Artemis was in one piece, he stepped back and took a proper look at him. He was shocked by how tired Artemis looked.

"Hello, old friend," said the boy wearily, just about managing a sorry little smile. He made to sit down.

"Artemis," replied Butler, his face concerned. "Are you OK?"

Artemis did his best to summon his usual spark of arrogance to deflect the question, but it wouldn't quite come. "I am in fine health," he said, trying to sound indignant but not succeeding.

"Artemis don't lie to me," warned Butler. "We've been there before. I know there's something wrong. You can tell me now, or you can tell me later. But make no mistake, you will tell me."

One look at his bodyguard's expression told Artemis that he was telling the truth. There was no way he would be able to avoid telling Butler; besides, he would surely figure it out eventually anyway.

"Very well, I shall explain," he said, choosing his words carefully. "Holly and I argued."

The giant manservant laid a shovel-sized hand on Artemis's shoulder. He understood the boy's pain – Holly was probably his closest friend. Fighting with her must have been hard. Sure, the two bickered all the time, but it seemed like this was something more serious.

And then Butler noticed something. Yes, Artemis looked tired and yes, he looked miserable, but there was something else as well. Something off about the boy that Butler couldn't quite place. He was about to inquire further, but Artemis abruptly changed the subject before he had a chance to do so.

"The Guardian," he said. "Ring any bells?"

Butler tensed slightly. Of course it rang a bell. Several bells, in fact. And they weren't the kind of bells that filled him with excitement.

"Extremely dangerous man," he said. "A killer for hire, but like no other that I've ever heard of. He's supposedly a sniper, but he's more of a legend than a real figure at this point. Most people who have heard of him don't believe he's real. He's a bodyguard's worst nightmare: an unstoppable assassin, invisible until it's too late. I doubt even I could protect you from someone like him."

"Not very encouraging," frowned Artemis. "So he is real? Not a myth?"

"I believe so," he said slowly. "Why? You don't think he's coming after you do you?"

Artemis shrugged. "Maybe," he said, as though it didn't matter much to him either way. "Probably not though. It was just something Galadhon said. Apparently this "Guardian" might be connected to the group that… killed Trouble and his team."

It wasn't lost on Butler that Artemis had carefully referenced Trouble's death to avoid having to mention Holly. He doubted it was a good sign. Still, far more worrying was the prospect that he might be forced to deal in some capacity with The Guardian.

* * *

 **Shuttle to Haven**

Holly Short felt emptier and more alone than she could ever remember feeling. Piece by piece, her world was being undone. She was running out of things to lose.

She had nodded and smiled politely through all the various debriefings, finally finding herself where she wanted to be: on a shuttle home. She had no doubt that there were unpleasant council meetings waiting there for her, but she didn't care. Holly didn't much care about anything anymore.

Staring at the unoccupied seat opposite her but not really seeing it, Holly systematically drove every thought from her head. It was better to think and feel nothing, she reasoned, than to endure the pain that plagued her.

Time passed. Holly didn't know how much. The journey back to haven could have been ten minutes or it could have been ten hours. Not that it mattered. Not that anything mattered.

Nevertheless, the shuttle eventually touched down, signaling her return to her home. To her own people. She didn't notice the somewhat lackluster landing.

Holly was vaguely aware of things happening. There were voices – some raised, some not – and activity around the craft was increasing. She ignored everything. Operating more on auto-pilot than anything else, the elf made her way out of the shuttle. Haven's air was as stale as she remembered, but then at least her body wasn't under constant assault from radiation.

"Holly!"

She turned to see Foaly galloping towards her. _I should smile_ , she thought. _He's my friend and he's come specially to meet me. I should smile. I know I should, but I can't. I can't._

"Hey, Foaly," she said quietly, entering the centaur's warm embrace.

"Good Gods, Holly, I must admit I was worried," Foaly said, hugging her tightly. "That was a close run thing! Feels good to see you in the flesh."

"Yeah, you too," Holly replied without much conviction. "Listen, I'm really tired. I'm just going to head home and grab some sleep, OK?"

Foaly looked concerned. "Err, sure, I guess," he said uncertainly. "Something bothering you?"

Holly rolled her eyes, displaying a little of her usual character. "Obviously. I was just kidnapped and tortured, you didn't think there was a chance I might be a little upset initially?"

Foaly shuffled uncomfortably. "Well, I suppose not," he admitted. "It worries me, you know, seeing you miserable. You always seem indestructible; I guess it just reminds me that you are mortal after all. Considering how dangerous your job is… let's just say I don't like being reminded of that."

Smiling for the first time since she'd spoken to Artemis, Holly put a hand on her friend's shoulder. Normally she might have defused the sudden seriousness of the conversation by gently mocking Foaly's display of vulnerability, but she didn't feel like doing that today. She too had recently been reminded exactly how mortal she was.

"I'm not planning on dying anytime soon," she said quietly. "And in case you'd forgotten, I'm still exhausted and about to head home," she added firmly.

She began walking back to her apartment, leaving Foaly looking slightly bemused by the shuttle. Truth be told she was glad to be alone again, but she was nevertheless grateful for the centaur's efforts to cheer her up – Foaly always seemed able to put a smile on her face, no matter how dire the situation was.

* * *

 **Council Chamber, Haven City, The Lower Elements**

The council chamber was already alight with fierce debate by the time Holly had arrived at home and collapsed in bed.

"Captain Short is a liability!"

"LEPrecon is no place for a girl!"

"She's compromised our security more times than I can count!"

"Enough!" roared Wing Commander Vinyáya, her eyes burning with fury. She swept her glare around the room, taking care to linger for a moment on each of the council members who were criticizing Holly. They wilted under it. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves, attacking the honor of one of the LEP's finest officers."

"Please, Wing Commander, calm yourself," admonished Chairman Cahartez. He attempted a disapproving look in response to the outburst, but the effect was ruined by his ridiculous conical cat. He was the only one who still wore the "official headgear".

"My apologies, _Chairman_ ," hissed Vinyáya, not bothering to hide her distaste. "I was under the impression that this meeting was called to discuss the course of action that the LEP will undertake going forward; _not_ to assassinate the character of Captain Short."

"Very well," huffed Cahartez. "What exactly is it that you have in mind?"

"If I may," interjected Galadhon. K'Azir, Foaly and himself were all present in addition to the councilors to offer their knowledge of the situation and military expertise (although perhaps not in Foaly's case). "It would first seem prudent to nominate an Acting Commander of the LEP following the tragic death of Commander Kelp."

Everyone in the room looked down as a sign of respect for the late commander. Cahartez removed his ludicrous hat.

After allowing a few moments for reflection, Galadhon continued. "Major K'Azir is of course the most logical choice."

K'Azir looked up sharply. The three of them had extensively rehearsed what they were going to say to the council, and that most definitely wasn't in the script. "I'm sorry?"

"You heard me," muttered Galadhon. He then addressed the rest of the room's occupants. "He has served the People loyally for many years, has a near faultless record in both Retrieval and Recon, and has personal experience of the crisis at hand. And I can honestly say it would be an honor to serve under him."

K'Azir still looked slightly stunned. He turned to the council, expecting to see confusion, but instead he saw a series and nods and confident smiles. Now he thought about it, he supposed it made sense – it was customary for one of the senior majors to take over when a commander was lost in combat or retired (or was disgraced, as Ark Sool had been), but he had never considered the possibility of himself taking over from Trouble. It seemed oddly wrong when his friend was only just dead to already be stealing his job.

"I'm… I'm not sure I could do that," he began, but Vinyáya interrupted him.

"Nonsense," she said. "Trouble believed in you, and so do I. Trust me, this is what he would have wanted."

K'Azir had no answer to that.

"All in favor, raise your hands," instructed Cahartez. All six councilors raised their hands.

"I can't believe that actually just happened," muttered K'Azir, still looking a little shocked.

Galadhon patted the acting commander on the back. "They couldn't have chosen a better fairy for the job," he said with complete sincerity. "Oh, and have fun with your paperwork…" he added with a ghost of a smile.

"Acting Commander, if you would take your seat," said Cahartez, indicating the empty seat that until recently would have been occupied by Trouble Kelp.

K'Azir did so, albeit cautiously, returning the council to the seven members that it was supposed to be.

"So, Commander, whose fault was all this?" asked one of the councilors. Vinyáya shot a vicious glare at the speaker.

K'Azir kept cool. "Make no mistake, the People _were_ betrayed," he said. "But not by Captain Short. Neither were we betrayed by the human Artemis Fowl – much as I detest him and his kind I must admit that he showed himself to be loyal. Without his assistance we would never have been able to retrieve our officer."

The council looked confused. At least, all apart from one – Vinyáya looked distinctly smug. "Who betrayed us then?" one asked.

"That is an excellent question," answered K'Azir. "And not one to which I have the answer. Somewhere out there is a very dangerous fairy that organized the kidnapping of one LEP officer and the murder of many more. Our primary directive must be to locate and detain this individual. It is almost certain that they will attempt greater exploits in the future."

"That all sounds wonderful," said Lope. "But how exactly do you propose we go about that?"

Galadhon answered that one. "Our current understanding of the situation indicates that direct contact occurred between the senior humans involved and our mystery fairy. We have identified two of these targets and will focus all our energies on locating them. We find them, we find the fairy."

It was a reasonably well put forward case – a simple but crucial end goal, with a clear and established method for achieving it. Galadhon could see that most of the council was warming to it. Hopefully they would authorize K'Azir to mount the necessary missions to deal with the threat instead of crucifying Artemis and Holly as scapegoats.

But there's always one. "Forgive me if I don't just take your word for all of this, _Captain_ ," said the representative from Internal Affairs. I.A. was categorically the enemy of all progress and productivity. Galadhon sighed. The representative – a gnome – slouched in his chair, looking unbearably self-satisfied. He continued in his superior, condescending drawl. "From the beginning of this incident, the LEP has been less than forthcoming with the facts. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that Mister Kelp deliberately obfuscated what was happening in order to mislead us. Very unprofessional, you understand. It hardly fills me with confidence."

Foaly ground his teeth and Galadhon was in half a mind to throw a punch at the conceited bastard trashing Trouble's legacy. K'Azir, however, intervened before either could say anything they might later regret.

"Naturally, you are correct," he said silkily. "A full and thorough investigation will I'm sure be sanctioned by the council into these troubling matters. However – and I'm sure a man of your reputation understands this – it is imperative that we proceed in dealing with the crisis at hand before any such investigation can begin."

Vinyáya shot K'Azir an admiring glance – he was a natural. "I wholeheartedly agree," she announced. "And propose that all matters relating to such an investigation be postponed until this emergency is behind us."

The Internal Affairs representative's face suddenly formed the expression of a fairy realizing that he's been completely outmaneuvered, and is now unsure how to respond.

"All in favor," said Cahartez, raising his hand. The motion was passed six to one.

"To business," said K'Azir. "I would like to request permission to undertake all necessary actions in order to locate our targets."

This suggestion was met with significantly more disapproval than the previous two. Mutterings filled the air.

Cahartez was the first to voice an objection. "As much respect as I had for your predecessor, there is no denying that his operation cost the LEP almost a ton of gold and the lives of many officers. Until we have more concrete information, I for one cannot in good conscience authorize additional above ground missions. As I understand it, Captain Short has a favorable rapport with the Mud Boy, Artemis Fowl. Perhaps it would be best to enlist his assistance?"

There were murmuring of agreement around the chamber. _D'Arvit,_ thought Galadhon. _There's no way this lot will let us send fairies to the surface to hunt Vasiliev._

K'Azir seemed to be having similar thoughts and decided to try a different approach.

"Perhaps you are right," he conceded. "It would be prudent to take full advantage of our human allies. But as you correctly surmised, if we are to secure the assistance of Artemis Fowl, it will have to be by leveraging his connection to Holly Short."

"Of course," responded Cahartez.

"Naturally," continued K'Azir. "Foaly and Fowl can combine their impressive intellects to try and locate the targets. However, if and when a lead is discovered, the People will need to respond to it. Holly Short and Fowl have shown themselves to be an excellent team in the past. As such, I see no reason why – if she volunteers – Short should not be allowed to operate above ground."

"You want us to let you send a _female_ Captain, a known miscreant, to the surface to meet with Fowl, a known criminal and enemy of the People, on her own?" inquired the Internal Affairs gnome, clearly appalled.

"Not on her own," returned K'Azir. "I understand the council has many legitimate concerns regarding both Short and Fowl. To this end, I will go with her and keep a keen eye on the two of them. I will ensure that everything proceeds smoothly."

"And I fail to see," added Vinyáya through clenched teeth, in a tone that made it very clear that violence was a distinct possibility in the near future if the gnome continued in his current manner. "How Holly's _gender_ is even remotely relevant to the discussion."

"Agreed," said Cahartez. "All in favor of allowing Acting Commander K'Azir and Captain Holly Short to return to the surface to work alongside Artemis Fowl, raise your hands."

It was a close thing, but it was passed four to three with Cahartez, Lope, Vinyáya and K'Azir raising their hands.

"Very well," announced the chairman. "It is agreed."

* * *

"What in Frond's name was that?" muttered Galadhon as soon as he and K'Azir had exited the council chamber. "Have Short and Fowl work _together_? Are you insane?"

K'Azir raised an eyebrow. "I certainly hope not," he said, smiling a little.

"Haven't you seen Holly recently?" continued Galadhon, ignoring his colleague's response. "She's been utterly distraught since she spoke to Artemis! If you put the two of those in a room, someone's going to get strangled. And it won't be Holly. Besides, she wouldn't agree to work with him if we begged her, let alone volunteer."

K'Azir's eyes twinkled. "I have no intention of having the two work together in any capacity, much the same as we both know that we will not need to exploit their friendship – if one even still exists – to secure the Mud Boy's assistance; according to you he has already agreed to help. What you fail to see, my good Captain, is that I have just convinced the council to authorize myself and Short to respond immediately to any leads on the surface."

Comprehension dawned on Galadhon. He shook his head in admiration. "Damn, that's good," he breathed. "I mean, obviously I could never condone such dishonest and underhand behavior. You should be ashamed of yourself," he added, but couldn't quite keep a straight face.

K'Azir chuckled. "And what was all that about getting me promoted? You know I never wanted this."

Galadhon paused and placed a hand on the elf's shoulder. "My friend," he smiled. "You remember what Root always used to say?"

K'Azir didn't say anything, but he knew. Of course he did.

"It's not about what you want," said Galadhon. "It's about what's best for the People. And Frond knows I can't think of anyone who would be better suited to this than you."

 **A/N: Hope I got the whole council bit right - we never really get an insight into those meetings in canon so I had to just kind of improvise. I wanted to make it sound as official as possible; no idea if I succeeded though xD.**

 **As regards the first section, yes I am the kind of person who uses and loves flashbacks. This chapter certainly won't be the last to use one. I want to offer some kind of closure concerning Artemis's Atlantis Complex, as the lack of this was one of my main problems with TLG (and this is my alternative to TLG)., and I intend to do that mainly through timely flashbacks like this one.**

 **It's also worth noting that while she's been mentioned a few times before in this fic, Vinyáya featured properly in this chapter: for anyone wondering, yes I am aware that she was supposed to have died in TAC. I have made the conscious decision to resurrect her as she was (in my opinion) a great character. At some point I will try to work in some exposition explaining how I theorize her managing to survive.**

 **Review please? I always enjoy hearing what you all have to say :D**

 **-Kio**


	13. Restless

**A/N: So this chapter is entirely Artemis. Hopefully this gives something of an insight into how he's coping at the moment. Enjoy!**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 13;**

 **Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Artemis had mixed feelings as he watched the fairy shuttle disappear into thin air after dropping him and Butler in the Fowl Manor grounds. On the one hand, he knew he should be pleased to be home – his initial return was cut short by events in Ukraine, and he hadn't really had a chance to spend any time with the twins. Now he could properly reunite with his family.

And yet, Artemis could not even begin to deny that he loved his involvement with the People. Sure, Galadhon had asked him to assist Foaly in tracking down the missing from Ukraine, but he couldn't quite shake the feeling that the shuttle he had just watched disappear and fly away was somehow a metaphor for his relationship with the People. Because he'd _never_ had a good relationship with most fairies, neither had he been involved with them. All his adventures had centered around one fairy in particular, and it seemed like she wasn't very keen on having any connection to Artemis whatsoever. And if she wouldn't stand by his side, would there really be any chance of future fairy-related escapades?

And then, of course, there was the main issue regarding Holly. Artemis might have been worried about losing the benefits that his friendship with the elfin Captain had yielded, but that was nothing compared with the impact of losing the friendship itself. Artemis was the first to admit that he wasn't always the best at dealing with or interpreting feelings, but his current state of mind was especially confusing. Of course, it was natural to be upset at the loss of a friend, he understood that. But surely it shouldn't hurt quite this much? Surely he shouldn't feel quite so… _empty._

The boy had known almost since the start of their rocky relationship that the elf was something special. She had been able to make him guilty in a way that only his mother had been able to before. She had changed him, at least he thought she had. He had always found himself acting just a tiny bit differently when she was around, a pattern that had only increased with time. Of course, Artemis was nothing if not a man with complete control over the impression he gave out, and so the changes were so subtle that they generally went unnoticed. But Artemis knew they were there.

"Sir?"

Butler's gravelly tones cut through Artemis's thoughts.

"Are you going to stare wistfully into the distance all day, or actually go home?" asked the bodyguard.

Artemis rolled his eyes and deflected the subtext of Butler's words. "Wistfully, Butler? How poetic of you. But yes, you are right. We should proceed home."

Butler gave his charge an odd look, but nevertheless followed him back to the house. As the manservant was about the unlock the door, it swung open to reveal Artemis Sr., who was wearing a rather disapproving expression.

"Ahh, young man," he began, his voice not quite as warm as his son might have liked. "I see you have finally decided to join us."

Artemis Jr. made to brush past. "Indeed father. Please allow me to apologize for my unexplained absence. I'm afraid I had some rather urgent business that I had to attend to."

"Not so fast," Artemis Sr. said, wrapping an arm around his son's waist before he could disappear off to his study or his lab. "You're coming to have a very important talk with your mother and I."

The boy's look of horror made it clear exactly how keen he was on that suggestion. "Please father, I am not a _child._ You need not physically drag me to mother."

Butler raised a subtle eyebrow. Legally, of course, Artemis was eighteen, but they both knew that because of time travel he was really only fifteen. A child. Still, a child that had perhaps achieved more than any other human alive.

Artemis gave his oldest friend a pleading look, but Butler did not intervene to save him from his fate. The bodyguard gave a slight shake of the head, wearing an expression indicating to Artemis that he would have to face this sooner or later, so he might as well get it over with.

Artemis, of course, understood this – he was a genius after all – but that didn't mean he was happy about it. _Odd; after single handedly organizing a coordinated, multi-species assault on a fortress in Chernobyl, it is the prospect of being reprimanded by my parents that scares me._

Still, Butler was right. He didn't have a choice. Grudgingly he followed his father through to the kitchen where Angeline Fowl was looking expectant.

"Mother," greeted Artemis formally. "How are you today?"

Angeline took a moment before responding, carefully regarding her son. "Far better, now that I know you are safe," she finally answered frostily. "Timmy, could you give us a few moments? I would like to speak to our son in private."

Artemis Sr. looked slightly confused, but left as requested. As soon as she was confident her husband was out of ear shot, Angeline began her onslaught.

"Artemis Fowl!" she hissed. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

"Excuse me, mother, I don't-"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about – and don't even think about interrupting me. You disappear for _three years_ with no explanation. When you get back, you _mesmerize_ your father and I and lie about it! You _promised_ me you'd be safe in Iceland. You lied. Then you told me everything was fine, when it most certainly wasn't. Next thing I know you disappear _again_ for six months, and you make me lie to my husband about it."

Artemis's resilience crumbled. His pre-prepared responses stuck in his throat. _She's right_ , he thought resignedly. _What have I put my family through?_

Angeline wasn't done though. "Then, when you _finally_ get back and I think we can _finally_ be a proper family, the vanish of the face of the earth without so much as a word! No more of your crazy adventures, you said. No more. And then not only do you go back on that within _days_ , but you even have the nerve to involve me! You convince me clear the house – with more lies, incidentally – and then just run off? In what universe is that acceptable?"

Her son reeled. He tried to organize his thoughts, but – very unusually for him – he didn't quite seem able. Holly's words echoed around his head. _"Don't kid yourself - that person is you."_ That person. That monster. He remembered the hate in her eyes. The hurt and the anger. He couldn't wash the image from his memory. It wasn't the first time she had looked him that way. She had been smiling, of course, at the start of the conversation. But it hadn't lasted. Artemis supposed he had something of a talent for making people unhappy.

 _Artemis put a toe on the Mini's front tire and climbed on to the bonnet beside Holly. He sat there for a few minutes, concentrating on the experience. Storing it away._

 _Holly glanced at him sitting next to her._

 _"Sorry about earlier. You know, the thing."_

" _The kiss?"_

 _Holly closed her eyes. "Yes. I don't what's happening to me. We're not even the same species. And, when we go back, we will be ourselves again."_

It doesn't matter, _thought Artemis, and then immediately wondered why._

 _Holly covered her face with her free hand. "Listen to me. Babbling. The LEP's first female captain. That time stream has turned me into what you would call a teenager again."_

 _It was true. Holly was different; the time stream had brought them closer together. On the one hand it felt odd; it was just the two of them, no Butler, no Foaly in Holly's ear. And on the other hand, it just felt right. Artemis had not felt that close to his elfin friend before or after their trip back in time._

" _What if I'm stuck like this? That wouldn't be so bad, would it?"_

No, _thought Artemis immediately, but he said nothing._

 _The question hung in the air between them. A question heavy with insecurity and hope._

No, it wouldn't be so bad at all, _thought Artemis again. He wasn't quite sure why he so convinced about that, but for whatever reason, he felt certain that he wouldn't mind the two of them staying how they were now forever._ But how can I say that? I can't keep lying to her. I have to tell her the truth. If I answer that question honestly, it will be the worst thing I have ever done.

" _It wasn't you, Holly," Artemis blurted, his forehead hot, his calm cracked._

 _Holly's smile froze, still there but puzzled. "What wasn't me?"_

" _You didn't infect my mother. I did it. It was me. I had a few sparks left over from the time tunnel and I made my parents forget that I'd been missing for three years._

 _Holly's smile was gone now._

" _I didn't… but you told me…"_

 _She stopped in mid-sentence, the truth washing over her face like a disease._

 _Artemis pressed on, determined to explain himself. "I had to do it, Holly. Mother is dying… will be dying. I needed to be certain of your help… please understand…"_

 _He trailed off, realizing that there was no explaining away his actions. Just like every other time. Because how could you explain away the actions of a monster?_

After several long moments of silence, Artemis looked up at his mother. "I had to do it, Mother. Holly was dying. She… I had to do it."

For a while, nothing was said. Angeline looked at her son, and Artemis looked anywhere but at his mother. Seconds passed, then minutes. Still, Angeline refused to speak. Eventually Artemis gave up waiting for a response. He slowly and stood and began walking to his room, intending to simply collapse.

"Is she alright?" asked Angeline as he was about to leave the room, her voice so quiet it her son a moment to realize what she had said.

Artemis simply nodded. Once. A part of him was grateful for the concern over Holly, but most of him was angry at his mother for making him think about the elf. It seemed clear now that only pain lay in those memories.

* * *

It took several hours for Artemis to feel strong enough to leave the relative safety of his room and go in search of the twins. He reasoned that at the very least he owed them an apology. He did his best to ignore the voice in the back of mind saying that they were better off without him. Besides, the truth was that Artemis genuinely did enjoy spending time with the twins. The last time he'd really been able to was before his Atlantis Complex had started preventing him from trusting them. Since then he'd been insane, chasing a rogue probe around the arctic, institutionalized, then rescuing an LEP officer from Pripyat. _Rescuing Holly,_ he corrected himself, and immediately regretted it.

Finding the twins wasn't difficult. Being toddlers, they tended to have something of an aptitude for producing noise. As had become usual while Artemis was away in Haven, Juliet was keeping an eye on them. Today the three of them were playing with LEGO.

The contrast between Myles' and Beckett's constructions struck Artemis the moment he entered the room. Myles was, with painstaking care, building a small fort. The attention to detail was staggering. Everything was perfectly ordered and – Artemis noticed this with no small measure of pride – the fort itself seemed to have been carefully designed beforehand to act as a perfect stronghold. Indeed, Myles' personality did bear a striking resemblance to Artemis's.

Beckett, on the other hand, was lying in a heap of LEGO bricks that was about as far from ordered as it was possible to get. It appeared as if he trying – _trying_ being the operative word – to construct some kind of house, but the result more closely resembled something from an apocalyptic zombie film than anything that might be considered remotely safe to dwell in. Still, Artemis supposed that it was certainly a lot more colorful than the grey color pallet from a dystopian future.

Amidst the chaos sat Juliet, as sparkling and pretty as ever. It was to her that Artemis spoke.

"Hello, Juliet," he said quietly, his voice tired. "How are you?"

The blonde girl looked up sharply. "Artemis. Where were you? Dom won't tell me anything!"

Before Artemis could respond, however, the twins appeared to notice the return of their sibling.

"Big brother!" they chorused, abandoning their projects and rushing to hug Artemis.

"Hello to you two, too," he said patiently extricating himself from the mess of arms and legs.

Beckett was immensely pleased to Artemis and wasted no time in dragging him proudly towards his model, explaining keenly why it was much better than his twin's.

Myles, however, although also excited by Artemis's return, seemed a little more reserved. Reproachful, even.

"Artemis…" he began slowly. "Why did you leave us?"

Artemis froze. He wasn't ready for that!

"Don't be silly, I didn't leave you," he said carefully. "I just went away for a few days to deal with something important."

"Mummy and Daddy didn't know where you were," said Beckett.

"They were worried about you," added Myles, his tone accusing. "Upset."

Artemis sighed and sat down. "I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it be that way, I promise. But there was something very important that I had to… to fix."

"What was more important than us?" asked Becket, clearly confused.

Artemis was quiet for a moment.

"Well?" asked Juliet, interjecting for the first time. Her voice was patient, but firm. She wasn't going to accept the evasive techniques that Artemis might have been tempted to employ on his siblings.

"Holly was in some trouble," he said, looking directly at Juliet. "Very deep trouble. I couldn't just leave her all alone."

The answer seemed to satisfy Juliet's curiosity. She knew as well as anyone how close Holly and Artemis were, and she was sure that if Holly was in danger then there wasn't much that would stop Artemis trying to save her. She also knew that when Artemis said "very deep trouble", he was almost certainly referring to the fatal sort of trouble, the details of which did not need to be recounted in front of young children.

"Who's Holly?" inquired Myles suspiciously. "What sort of trouble?"

Artemis stopped dead. He had been going to say something along the lines of "my friend". Was that even true anymore? If not friends, colleagues? Associates? He doubted either of those would be true again either.

Thankfully, Juliet stepped in to save Artemis from his dilemma.

"Holly is a very special friend of Artemis's. She lives very far away, and she was in grown up trouble. Now, enough questions!"

Artemis avoided Juliet's gaze, but didn't correct her.

Beckett seemed more than happy to abandon the questioning, returning to his quest of trying to show Artemis his "house". Myles, on the other hand, pouted.

"I hate it when people just say "grown up stuff" instead of actually answering the question," he muttered.

Juliet gave him a soft cuff around the ear. "No complaining," she admonished.

Artemis, meanwhile, allowed himself to be drawn into Beckett's LEGO world. Any distraction was a good distraction, he supposed. In the end, Artemis found that playing with his brothers was more than just a distraction. It was fun. When, half an hour later, his fairy communicator buzzed, he was genuinely sorry to leave the twins.

"Artemis Fowl II speaking," he said into his ring, once he had excused himself and made his way out of earshot. Only Foaly and Holly could call him on this particular communicator. The centaur calling with regards to the hunt for the missing men from Pripyat was by far the more likely option, but Artemis couldn't help holding out a tiny bit of hope that it might be Holly.

Said hopes were quickly put in their place when a distinctly male voice made itself known. Artemis tried not to be too disappointed. _Why would she want to talk you? Why even bother hoping?_ he couldn't help asking himself.

"So, Arty boy," Foaly was saying, completely unaware of Artemis's internal struggles. "We may be in a small spot of trouble."

Artemis sighed. Foaly could never just come with it, could he?

"Explain yourself. I don't have time for your melodrama today."

"Ohhh, touchy are we? What did you actually do to Holly anyway?" Foaly shot back quickly.

Artemis ground his teeth. He was in half a mind to just end the call there and then.

"Foaly, I swear to Frond…"

"Alright, alright! No need to bite my head off. Basically, we have no leads. Nothing apart from the name "Kiril Vasiliev". I've found no traces of the solinium tracker we placed on the gold – our mystery fairy must have known about it and managed to eliminate it. Petrenko's disappeared off the face of the earth, so has Vasiliev. Thoughts?"

Artemis took a moment to absorb the information. It wasn't what he had been hoping to hear.

"I spoke to Butler. He said that the "The Guardian" is an elite assassin. He seemed genuinely worried by him."

"Hmm, that's odd. I've already run every algorithm I have and I couldn't find any reference in anything to an assassin nicknamed The Guardian anywhere. Sure, some people are secretive, but there's no way that there would be so trace at all. Was Butler sure?"

Artemis frowned. "Remember Minerva? She managed to entirely delete every trace of her identity. Might it be possible that our mystery fairy could have done the same?"

Foaly made a frustrated noise. "You might just be right there, Mud Boy. D'Arvit! I only found Minerva because I had a picture to cross-reference. For this guy we have no name and not even a description. There's no way we'll find him."

"What about the other two?" Artemis asked, even though he was fairly sure he knew what the answer would be.

The centaur shook his head even though Artemis's ring didn't support video.

"We're pretty sure that Petrenko is with the fairy. There's no way we'll find him either."

Artemis sighed. "So our only hope is to find Vasiliev?" the boy frowned for a moment, as if unsatisfied with the question, but then shook his head and awaited Foaly's answer.

"Pretty much," the centaur agreed. "Of course, it's possible that he joined Petrenko, in which case we're basically screwed. But they might – and this is what we're hoping – have decided that that was too great a risk. After all, we could have been tailing Vasiliev or something. In theory, somewhere out there, Kiril is lying low. All we need to do is find him."

"I'm guessing that you have had little to no success so far and have therefore decided to request my assistance?" said Artemis, a little of his characteristic smugness returning.

"Yes, yes, gloat all you want," grumbled Foaly. "We need your help."

"Very well," said Artemis graciously. "I shall endeavor to assist in any way I that I am able."

"Cheers, Mud Boy," said Foaly in what was almost approaching a friendly tone. "I'll send over everything I've collected in relation to Vasiliev so far."

Artemis, who had throughout the conversation been working his way back to his study, now sat down at his computer just in time to receive Foaly's information.

The boy sat silently for about ten minutes, his dichromatic eyes scanning page after page of data at lightning speed. Eventually, Foaly could endure the suspense no longer.

"Mud Boy? You still there?"

Instead if responding directly, Artemis jabbed a few hotkeys and transferred the call from his ring to one of the spare monitors hooked up to his computer. Now that the two geniuses could see each other as well as hear each other, Foaly was struck by how exhausted the human appeared. He noticed Artemis eyes staring intently at a different screen.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, intrigued.

"Something," replied the boy distractedly. "Anything out of place."

Foaly watched Artemis work in silence for another few minutes before giving up and returning to his own search for clues. He kept the line open, but muted his mic. He'd recently discovered that listening to centaurian folk music helped him concentrate, and no doubt Artemis wouldn't take kindly to him singing along.

Try as he might, however, Foaly couldn't quite keep his thoughts on his work. One question in particular was bothering him and it just wouldn't give up. _What in Frond's name happened between Artemis and Holly?_ He didn't think he had ever seen Holly this withdrawn, and Artemis… well, OK, Artemis normally resembled a healthy corpse and he was always withdrawn. He never shared his feelings. But still, Foaly couldn't quite help feeling that something was off about the boy. He didn't seem to have the spark of _fight_ that always sat neatly behind his eyes. His iron determination seemed to have been buckled. And there was something about the way he was talking too, but Foaly couldn't for the life of him put his finger on what.

The centaur shook his head in an attempt to clear it and went back to focusing on work. He could worry about all that later. Right now, the People could be in serious danger – they needed to find Kiril, and they needed to find him fast.

Artemis also had niggling thoughts trying to distract him, but he ignored them, refusing to break concentration. He wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, but he would certainly know it when he saw it. There was no doubt that Kiril Vasiliev was the man's real identity – there was far too much history here for it not to be – but that didn't mean it was his _only_ identity. And Artemis knew from experience that one couldn't construct a new identity without there being any kind of trail. Somewhere, there would be some sort of a link. Somewhere. All he had to was find it.

Unfortunately, that was proving far easier said than done. So far, everything he had trawled through seemed one hundred percent legitimate. The man may have been a notorious criminal, but apparently Kiril had been extraordinarily careful; there wasn't anything incriminating or out of place in any official records. Perhaps it was time to try something else.

There had been numerous references to Petrenko and Vasiliev being suspected of involvement with the Russian Mafiya in police reports. Artemis began opening the files of Mafiya information that he had collected all those years ago when his father had been missing, presumed dead. The array of details was impressive – Artemis had forgotten that even at the tender age of ten he had been a very capable human. _How could you forget? At twelve you were_ "capable" _of kidnapping and abusing a sentient, humanoid creature._

Artemis closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It seemed to get harder and harder every minute to maintain his calm or his focus.

It didn't take long to find Kiril in his list Mafiya members and associates. According to the document, Kiril had still been part of the group when Artemis had been researching them. Perfect. He hadn't been an especially high rank or significant member, but at the time Artemis had taken care to build an impressive network of contacts and informants. There was still more information on a small-timer like Kiril on the Fowl system than in any government records.

Artemis quickly identified the people that had been Kiril's main associates while he was still in the Mafiya, and immediately set about acquiring their records. It took him a whole thirteen minutes to compromise several of the most secure sites in the world and download all the relevant information they had to offer.

Sensing that he was close to a breakthrough, Artemis wasted no time in setting an algorithm to automatically sort through the documents and began to manually work through the ones that were most likely to bear fruit.

It didn't take long to find what he was looking for. Kiril may have been a careful man, but the criminal underworld was complex network of different people, all interlinked. And, as everyone knew, a chain was only as strong as its weakest link. Artemis was confident that he had found that link.

"Foaly," he said urgently. "I may have something."

The centaur was cynical. "In an hour you've managed to achieve what the entire LEP couldn't in a day? Yeah, right, and Mulch never ate a beetle."

Artemis sent the relevant documents to Foaly. Well, "sent" probably wasn't the right word. Planted them in his system after completely bypassing all of the security measures was probably a better description.

"Wha-?" exclaimed Foaly. "Did you just hack my system in five seconds?!"

"Of course not," replied Artemis smugly. "I hacked your system a week ago and left myself a way in. You failed to notice."

"D'Arvit, you smug, conceited little Mud Boy!" shouted Foaly.

Artemis took a moment to smile internally. "As flattering as your outrage is, consultant," he said, raising one eyebrow a fraction. "Perhaps we could return to the matter at hand? I believe you _did_ receive what I sent; I think the means I used are unimportant at this time."

"Fine, fine," sulked the centaur. "What is this you've sent me anyway?"

"The financial records of a former associate of Kiril Vasiliev - from when he was still in the Mafiya. As you can see, the associate pays a series of rather large sums to a law firm back in 1996. This is significant because I happen to know that this firm is a legal front for a very lucrative and very _not_ legal business. They engage in a variety of nefarious activities, but specialize in forging documents and establishing fake identities."

"Wait, you think he paid this company to create fake IDs for Kiril and his mates?" asked Foaly, for once forgetting to hide how impressed he was.

"That is rather the hope. Of course there is no certainty that he was not in fact paying for something else, or that one of the IDs was for Vasiliev. But it is somewhere to start. Now, I should be able to uncover the IDs issued by that particular firm in that particular time frame."

"Wait a minute, how exactly do you plan on doing that?" said Foaly, obviously delighted to have another opportunity to doubt the human. "It's not like they keep records of that stuff."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Have a little faith. These people do more than just forging documents; they also create an entire digital past for someone. In theory, we should be able to trace the exploits of their hackers. It will be slow, but if we, _collaborate-_ " Artemis didn't seem to like the word "-then it should hopefully not take too long. I trust you _do_ know how to do that, yes?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Foaly indignantly. "I've hacking Mud Man systems for decades before you were even born! Honestly, the nerve of some people. You know, I don't have to listen to this. I'll be I touch if I find anything."

And with that, he severed the connection. Artemis sighed. Sometimes he thought that Foaly was a little over sensitive, not that he told him that. Although, doing so would probably be a great way of proving himself right…

 _Focus!_ he told himself. _You need to find Kiril's other identity._

* * *

Artemis had only been working on this for about half an hour when he was interrupted by his mother.

"Artemis," she said once he had closed the more sensitive windows on his computer and given her his full attention. "I've had a think and I've decided we need to talk."

Artemis groaned internally. The last he needed to do right now was talk to his mother.

"What is it that we need to talk about, mother?" he asked cautiously. Once he knew the subject matter, he could start looking a way out.

"Holly."

Artemis froze. _No,_ he thought immediately. _No. This is not happening._

"I'm not sure that's wise," he said out loud.

"Artemis, this is important. I understand that you can become very… _concerned_ for her. And that's OK. Good, actually. It's good that you care; once upon a time I worried that you would never care about anything other than gold."

Her son looked away, guilty. He didn't need reminding about the link between _gold_ and _Holly_. It wasn't a link he was proud of.

Angeline continued. "I'm sure Holly is great. But I'm anxious that you don't have enough friends your own age. I think you dedicate too much time to your fairy related activities; can't you take some time to try being a teenager one of these days?"

 _I doubt that I'll be engaging in many "fairy related" activities in the future,_ thought Artemis bitterly.

"I have no desire to be a teenager mother… _mum._ And I rather feel I have all the friends that I need already, thank you."

"I'm not convinced," said Angeline. "And what about girls?"

The boy shrugged; it was most teenager-like thing he ever did. "I'm afraid I don't know, mother. What exactly about girls?"

The Fowl matriarch gave her eldest son a disapproving look. "You know precisely what I mean, Artemis. Don't play dumb, it doesn't become of you."

Artemis said nothing. What could he say? It wasn't that he wasn't interested in girls per se, but it just seemed like he'd never really had a chance to worry things like that. He had always been busy saving the world or engaging in other such exciting adventures. Sure, he'd had a temporary infatuation with Minerva, but once he had returned from Limbo, it hadn't really gone anywhere. She had changed a lot – three years is a long time, and the difference between a twelve-year-old and fifteen-year-old is nothing insubstantial – and while she had harbored a sort of idealized memory of Artemis, it had quickly become clear to both of them after getting back in contact that they weren't best suited to each other.

"Holly is a girl," said Angeline carefully, once it became obvious that her son had no intention of answering the question himself.

"What is your point, mother?" asked Artemis irritably.

"I know that the two of you are very close…" said Angeline, unwilling to really commit herself to what her "point" obviously was.

"Mother, please, I really don't want to talk to you about Holly about the moment."

"Would you rather discuss her with someone else?" said Angeline icily. "Your father perhaps?"

Artemis clenched his fists. "I do not want to talk to _anyone_ about Holly," he said, a little louder than he had mean to.

"Don't raise your voice with me, young man," admonished Angeline.

Turning so he was no longer facing his mother, Artemis tried to calm himself. _This is ridiculous! I do_ not _allow myself to show weakness._

"Perhaps it would be best if you left me alone," he said quietly.

"Absolutely not," Angeline replied firmly. "We are having this conversation whether you like it or not."

Artemis closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. The cracks in his normally unbreakable composure were widening now, becoming rifts. He struggled to keep his voice even.

"Please, mother. Leave. Me. Alone."

Angeline drew herself up to her full height. "I am your mother! You will not talk to me like that and you will not throw me out! Now, Holly…"

Something in Artemis just broke. His façade of calm was gone entirely, now, shattered and ruined. He found that, all of a sudden, he just didn't care anymore. Not about his mother, not about Holly, not about himself. Everything seemed too far gone. He'd been through Hell one too many times, and right now, it was just _too much_.

"Oh, you are my mother are you?" he snarled, his voice like acid. "Forgive me, I did not notice. Maybe you should try acting like it one of these days."

The words were out before he even realized he had though them. Angeline reeled, but her son hadn't finished yet.

"You abandoned me when father was missing. I may have been your only son, I wasn't enough to keep you sane, was I? Instead, you forced me to blackmail a fairy into saving what was left of your mind. So maybe, just maybe, you try actually _parenting_ before you play the "I'm your mother" card."

Angeline simply stared at her son, her expression one of horror.

Artemis was appalled at himself. _I don't lose control. I don't._ But he had. The anger was passed now, and he wasn't even sure where it had come from anymore. He had no idea what do to, no idea what to say. He watched his mother with apprehension, afraid of what would happen next.

But Angeline did something that her son did not expect.

"I'm sorry," she said as she left the room, her voice so quiet and so soft that Artemis couldn't quite be sure that she had spoken at all.

For a time, Artemis simply sat, uncertain. When exhaustion finally caught up with him, he made his way to his bedroom. He encountered no-one on the way, and so was able to stumble numbly through the corridors without being forced to justify himself. In truth, he wasn't sure he could.

He collapsed into his bed as soon as he reached it, allowing sleep to claim him.

He did not dream of light that night. He dreamt of shadows.

 **A/N: I hope I got the Artemis fighting with his mother bit right and it didn't feel out of character or anything. I know there are somewhat mixed feelings about Angeline, but I don't particularly like her myself - it just seems somehow _unfair_ that Artemis saves the world and then his parents get to act like their opinion matters; Holly and Butler have earned their place alongside Artemis, his parents are just a bit underwhelming in my opinion. Next chapter will include something of an insight into Artemis's dream (as mentioned at the end) so that should be at least interesting.**

 **I also hope no-one minded me messing around with a canon scene (Artemis reliving his discussion with Holly in the past) but, as you can probably tell by now, memories _do_ play a role in this story. My use of flashbacks will include both real ones and those of my own creation. Ten points to Gryffindor if anyone has figured out what Foaly and Butler think is "off" about Artemis ;).**

 **As always, please do scribble away in the reviews section. Your opinion (unlike Artemis's parents') does matter to me!**

 **-Kio**


	14. Vengeful

**A/N: Before we get into things here, I just want to take quick a moment to give a huge thank you to everyone who has been reviewing. You guys are awesome :D**

 **Congratulations to those among you keen-eyed enough to spot Artemis counting his words. In fact, he's been speaking in fives ever since his initial argument with Holly in Pripyat. Go on, go back and count. I dare you.**

 **Gryffindor has been awarded points accordingly, but unfortunately is still lagging behind Slytherin, which has been the beneficiary of Amber using some of her ill-gotten gold as a bribe to secure it additional points. We'll have to see if Holly and Arty can do something about that in the future ;)**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 14;**

 _Artemis opened his eyes as Holly pushed open the door and stepped in. He gave a weak smile._

" _Hey, Arty," she said, coming and sitting on the edge of his bed. "How are you feeling today?"_

 _Artemis paused, carefully planning his response. "I am well enough, Captain," he said._

 _Holly laid a hand on his. "Captain? Are we strangers?"_

 _Artemis looked away. "Could you please add another word to your sentence, Holly?"_

 _The elf sighed, frustrated. "You have to fight it. You have to. And you didn't answer my question. Are we strangers?"_

 _Seventeen words. Not perfect, not by any means, but much better than a multiple of… five minus one._

" _I do not know," admitted Artemis. "Are we? I thought I knew you. I thought we were friends. But then why am I so sure that you are planning to betray me? To destroy me? The Holly I knew would never do that. Are you even her?"_

" _Of course I am," holly replied gently. "And you're right, I would_ never _do that. It's the Atlantis Complex that's making you think that."_

 _Artemis was torn between trusting her and not. "I want to believe you," he said cautiously. "But that is exactly what you would say if were trying to gain my trust in order to kill me."_

 _Holly closed her eyes for a minute, clenching her fists. When she opened them, she seemed more calm._

" _Artemis, please listen to me. I don't want to hurt you."_

 _The boy wasn't convinced._ Why did it take her so long to answer? Was she trying to think of the best way to phrase her lie? _He wondered._ And why does she seem angry? Did I do something?

Of course you did! _said a voice in his head._ You did so many things. When she looks at you, she sees a kidnapper, an extortionist, a liar, a manipulator… of course it makes her angry seeing you.

 _Artemis wanted so badly to deny it, but in his heart he knew it was true. It made perfect sense._

" _I'm sorry Holly," he said desperately, hoping she might one day forgive him. "For everything I did. I'm so sorry."_

 _Holly responded with an expression that was began puzzled, then became exasperated._

" _You don't have to apologize to me for the things you did in the past every five minutes, Mud Boy."_

 _Artemis looked distinctly unsure._ She's lying, she has to be. It's the only logical conclusion. But why? _And then it hit him._ It doesn't matter why. She's lying, and that means I was right! I can't trust her. I'm sure she's plotting my downfall right now…

" _Stay back, fairy! Stay back!" he shouted, waving a manic finger at Holly. He turned away from her and began beating a frantic rhythm of fives on the table next to him._

" _Artemis…" said Holly softly, her voice laden with sympathy. "Please…"_

 _For a moment, the boy seemed almost lucid. He averted his eyes and stopped tapping._

" _Not real," he muttered. "You're not real. Get. Out. Of. My. Head."_

 _After a minute of silence, Artemis raised his head and looked at his elfin friend, taking care to keep his tears from doing as they threatened and flowing._

" _My apologies," he said formally. "You'll have to forgive me. I wasn't myself."_

" _It's OK," she smiled. "I know it's hard. It means a lot that you try for me."_

 _The boy smiled back, and in that moment it was as though they were their normal selves again, free of the sickness that plagued Artemis's mind and dictated his almost every move. In that moment, the shadow was gone from behind his eyes._

 _Holly reached out to touch his shoulder, and like that, the moment was gone. Artemis flinched back before she could make contact, and immediately his eyes regained their mistrustful quality, scanning her face suspiciously for any sign of conspiracy._

 _The elf sighed. "Artemis, I'm sorry, I just… it hurts you know. You being like this. It hurts me."_

 _Again, uncertainty flashed across Artemis's face as she wondered what her ulterior motive was. It was replaced in a heartbeat by regret._

" _No Holly,_ I'm _sorry. I always hurt you. Always me."_

" _For goodness sake, Mud Boy! Don't talk like that. It's not true, and somewhere in that big brain of yours you know it!"_

 _Artemis furrowed his brow. "I'm afraid I don't understand."_

" _Yes you do, Artemis," she said firmly._

 _He flinched, and looked at her with hurt in his eyes._

" _Please can you add another word to your sentence, Holly."_

 _Holly snapped._

" _No I bloody well won't!" she shouted. "D'Arvit, Artemis, why do you do this? Why? It's just a fucking number!_ _Nothing more. Nothing. Why can't you see that?"_

 _Artemis's expression was distraught, but Holly hadn't vented enough to start feeling guilty yet._

" _Just snap out of it, alright? D'Arvit, just snap out of it!" she reached out a hand and slapped Artemis across the cheek, harder than she had intended to. "Four! Four! See, Artemis? Nothing exploded, no-one died. It's just a number; I can say it as much as I want and nothing bad will happen. Four, four, four, four!"_

 _Artemis's head felt like it was overheating. He couldn't think. He couldn't speak. He didn't even realize that he was crying. He just shook his head frantically, muttering apologies to the number gods in various languages. He didn't notice Holly's expression turn to one of horror at her own actions, and he didn't hear her desperately try and apologize. In the end he didn't even realize she had left._

"D'Arvit," gasped Artemis, surfacing from the dark place he had been occupying. He raised a hand to touch his face. It came away wet. He hoped it was from sweat, not tears. Slowly he managed to get his breathing under control.

"Not real," he muttered. Except that that wasn't entirely true; it _was_ real, or had least it had been. _This is getting to be a problem. It's barely more than a day since I argued with Holly and already I'm having nightmares about my memories of her?_

He sighed, pleased to have more or less recovered. In hindsight, the memory seemed almost trivial, but Artemis wasn't fooled. The pain that Holly had caused him that day had been real and physical. He could still taste the terror he had felt when she had started saying… that number.

 _What number?_

"Four," he said aloud, refusing to allow the irrational compulsions to dominate him. "Four. I'm not afraid of you."

He almost believed it.

* * *

 **Haven City, The Lower Elements**

Holly Short was enjoying a façade of normalcy. Seated in a cozy corner of Stirbox, a trendy coffee shop in Jazz Quarter, she faced the young demon warlock №1. Although №1 was usually rather, shall we say, _excitable_ , he was especially hyper today owing to the sim double espresso that he was half way through drinking.

"Honestly №1," she was saying. "You have no idea how good it feels to just do something normal."

Holly and №1 had established a schedule for weekly sim-coffee several months ago; the only time one of them had failed to make it was last week, when Holly was somewhat preoccupied in Pripyat. Returning to the routine was making Holly feel more herself again.

"You're right, I _do_ have no idea," replied №1. "Mainly because I don't know where you've been, or what you've been doing. All I get is you not showing up last week, and a bunch of cryptic answers from the LEP when I try and find out where you are."

Holly sighed and rubbed her eyes, her exhaustion obvious to №1. "I can't tell you much, I'm afraid. Everything's classified. Let's just say I was caught up in some really, _really_ messy surface operations."

"You call getting abducted a "messy operation"?" asked №1 incredulously.

Holly's surprise was written all over her face. "Wha-" she spluttered. "How do you know about that? I thought you said the LEP wouldn't tell you anything!"

"They didn't. Foaly did."

"Why didn't you say that?"

№1 shrugged. "I wanted to see what you would say."

Holly shook her head. "Not cool."

The little imp shrugged again. "Since we've established that I already know some of this classified information, no harm in letting me in on the rest of it, right?"

"That's not how it works. And besides," she added, a trace of hostility in her voice. "Who said I wanted to discuss it?"

№1 looked puzzled for a moment. The most powerful warlock alive he may have been, but he remained young and lacked social experience. It didn't seem to have occurred to him that Holly might not have wanted to talk about her ordeal so soon.

"Oh," he said awkwardly, unsure of what more to say.

This time it was Holly's turn to shrug. "Don't sweat it," she muttered, already feeling bad about making her friend feel guilty. She quickly shut out the voice in her head reminding her that №1 wasn't the only friend she had made feel guilty in recent times. Some things didn't bear thinking about.

Not particularly enjoying the uncomfortable silence, №1 searched for a new topic of conversation. An idea came to him. The little demon was quite fond of his and Holly's mutual human friend, but he hadn't heard anything from Artemis since the boy had left Haven. He was curious as to how he was getting on.

"I wonder how Artemis is doing since he beat Atlantis," he mused aloud. "If you were on the surface, did you get the chance to catch up?"

It turned out to be the wrong subject to bring up. Dark clouds descended over Holly's expression.

"I haven't spoken to him," she said, her voice like ice.

№1 wasn't fooled, but he didn't really know how to proceed. It was clear that something had happened relating to Artemis while Holly had been away, but he had no way to know what. In the end, he decided that directness would be the best option.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

"I told you, I haven't spoken to him," Holly reiterated firmly, really wanting №1 to drop it. He didn't quite get the hint.

"Holly…"

"№1. We are not talking about this. Do you understand?" Holly realized that she was talking quite a lot more loudly than he had meant to. Several other fairies in the shop turned around to offer the pair odd looks. Holly lowered her voice.

"I am not having this conversation with you," she hissed. "OK?"

The little demon held his hands up surrender. "OK, OK, I'm sorry," he said, making a mental note to ask Foaly about Artemis when he got a chance.

For a moment, nothing was said, and Holly slowly calmed down. In the end, it was №1 that broke the silence.

"Hold out your hands," he instructed.

"Why?" said Holly, immediately suspicious.

The demon rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you. But you're ill. Just give me your hands, trust me."

The elf didn't exactly look convinced, but she nevertheless obliged. "What do mean I'm ill?" she asked, her expression quizzical.

"Radiation," muttered №1, taking Holly's outstretched hands in his. "Wherever you went, it wasn't healthy. It's more than that, though; your body is damaged, badly. How many major healings have you gone through?"

Holly shrugged noncommittedly. "I don't know, a few?"

"A few?" scoffed the warlock. "More like ten. You can't keep on doing this to yourself, you know. Normal magic can only do so much. If you're not careful, you'll be nothing more than scar tissue held together by a mess of different magical threads. It's not healthy."

"What do you want me to do about it? I'm a police officer. Sometimes I get hurt."

" _You_ can't do anything about it. _I_ , on the other hand, most certainly can. Oh and by the way, remember when I said I wasn't going to hurt you?"

Holly nodded, unsure where the conversation was heading.

"Well," said №1. "That might not have been _entirely_ true."

Before Holly's brain could register what №1's words meant, the warlock began treatment. Pure energy began to blossom around each of his arms, darting towards Holly. Jagged white lightning leapt from demon to elf, snaking around her torso and sinking into her. It took all her self-control not to scream.

Once №1 had finished he let go of his friend, and she collapsed in her chair, breathing heavily. The entire process had only lasted about five seconds, but even five seconds of blinding pain can seem like an incredibly long time to the receiver.

"What in Frond's name was that?" Holly gasped once she had recovered enough to speak.

№1 apologized. "Sorry, but it had to be done. I'm not sure you could have even survived another healing in that shape, and if you will insist on getting yourself into trouble…"

Holly growled slightly. №1 decided not to attempt any more banter.

"Anyway," he said quickly. "I've basically just repaired your body – especially your skeleton, that was particularly damaged – purged all radiation and other toxins from your system and filled you up with my own signature magic. I know that hurt a little, but trust me it's worth it. Any minute now, you should start to feel better than you have in years!"

Holly certainly didn't appreciate the spectacular agony she had just been subjected to being characterized as "hurting a little", but now that the aftereffects of the pain had worn off, she couldn't deny that she felt a lot healthier than she had in a very long time.

"Thanks," she said grudgingly, not quite yet ready to forgive №1 for the acute discomfort.

They continued chatting as they finished their sim-coffees, but with Holly unwilling to discuss her recent experiences or the current status of her friendship (or lack thereof) with Artemis, the conversation was fairly mundane.

While she was politely listening to №1 recount the details of a particularly vivid simulation he had undertaken with Qwan involving a horde of Quantum Zombies, Holly's communicator came to life.

"Really?" asked №1, slightly put off at being interrupted mid-story. "Isn't it customary to have those on silent?"

Holly frowned. "It is," she said. "Only emergency calls from the LEP are allowed through…" she tailed off, as it dawned on her exactly what the incessant beeping from her communicator was telling her.

She nervously raised it to her lips. "Captain Holly Short, LEPrecon."

"About time Captain," replied K'Azir, his voice crystal clear over the airwaves. "We have a lead. We need you at Police Plaza immediately."

Holly flashed №1 an apologetic expression. "Sorry. Gotta go."

* * *

 **Police Plaza, Haven City, The Lower Elements**

Holly wasn't even out of breath as she jogged into the Situation Room. However much what №1 had done may have hurt, there was no doubt that it had helped. A lot. She felt alive again.

"Holly!" exclaimed Foaly on spotting the elf enter.

After a quick hug with Foaly, Holly took a moment to look around her. Galadhon, Foaly, K'Azir and herself were the room's only occupants. She noticed the commander's acorns adorning K'Azir's lapel.

"Congratulations," she said, nodding at him. Though she tried to appear genuine, inside she felt a little sick. Not only did the acorns remind her once again about Trouble, but they almost seemed like an insult to his memory. It was as though the world had already moved on.

Something of her true feelings must have shown on her face. "I understand how you feel," said K'Azir, laying a fatherly hand on her shoulder. "Believe me, I didn't ask for this. I wish I didn't have to wear them."

Holly nodded, grateful for his understanding, and turned to the others.

"Sitrep?" she asked.

Both K'Azir and Galadhon looked expectantly at Foaly. The centaur chuckled, enjoying their reliance on him. He tapped a few keys on his v-board.

"Kiril Vasiliev," he said theatrically, indicating a series of images of an ill-tempered looking human now being displayed on the screens. "Real nasty piece of work. Used to be part of the Russian Mafiya before being betrayed and forced out of Russia. He moved to Ukraine and helped form a particularly unpleasant network of criminals, specializing in extortion and assassination."

At this moment Foaly gave Holly a long look, as though expecting her to contribute. She could make a reasonable guess as to where this was going, but she didn't recognize the Mud Man on the screen.

She shrugged. "I've never seen him before in my life."

Foaly looked a little disappointed, but continued anyway. "Second in command to one Vladimir Petrenko. Sound familiar?"

Holly nodded. That wasn't a name she would forget anytime soon.

Galadhon took over Foaly's explanation. "Vasiliev, LEP codename "Icepick", is believed to have been heavily involved with the Pripyat incident and present at the scene. However, his body was not located following the blue rinse. Most probably he escaped, but he also disappeared off the face of the earth without a trace."

"No trace, until now," interrupted Foaly smugly. "Allow me to introduce Alejandro Fernandes, also known as Kiril Vasiliev."

On the screen, Fernandes' identity flashed up. The connected image was undeniably the same as Vasiliev. The centaur continued, looking very self-satisfied.

"Fernandes bought a plane ticket to his home city, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, mere hours after we blue rinsed Pripyat. He then proceeded to rent an apartment – an apartment that we have subsequently located. Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's fair to say we've got the bastard."

"So when do I get to put a gun to his head?"

The question came from Holly. She drew quizzical looks from all of the room's other occupants; the comment was unlike her. As was the cold ruthlessness with which she had spoken.

"What?" she said by way of a response. "You don't know what they did to me in Pripyat, but you do know what they did to Trouble. He was one of us. I'm not saying I want to kill him, but so-help-me-Frond I want to see the fear in his eyes when he realizes he's all alone and at our mercy."

Her tone made it clear that she serious. Deadly serious.

Galadhon touched her arm. "Why do you think we called you here?"

"The council has already approved a surface mission to bring in Icepick and find out what he knows," announced K'Azir. "Captain Short, I won't force you to join me."

"You don't have to," replied Holly immediately.

"Excellent. We leave in ten. Gear up."

* * *

 **Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Artemis had more or less resigned himself to the fact that he would sleep no longer that night. It didn't trouble him unduly – sleep didn't seem to be the peaceful haven it once had been.

The problem he now found himself faced with was what to actually do. None of his family were up yet, and they certainly wouldn't appreciate Artemis interrupting their slumber. _No matter,_ he thought. _I am, in many ways, a solitary man. I'm sure I can find a way to occupy myself._

The boy inevitably found himself at his computer after a few moments of deliberation. Once he had logged in, he was greeted with a message from Foaly.

" _Found Kiril. Ty 4 help mud boy :D"._

Artemis made a face. Creating expressions with punctuation? How uncivilized. He supposed he should be, but, for whatever reason, he didn't quite seem able to bring himself to be pleased at Foaly's success. Every moment he was awake it became harder to ignore the voice in the back of his head telling him not to trust any of his fairy friends.

The funny thing about paranoia is this: it can take the tiniest, most innocent detail and construct an entire narrative around it in your head in an attempt to convince you not to trust someone. Artemis's Atlantis Complex chose this second to do exactly that.

 _He said he found Kiril. But where? Why not tell me? Was he lying? Did he not want me to know? Why wouldn't he want me to know? Are they planning something?_

Try as he might, Artemis couldn't shake the suspicion that something was the matter. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that Foaly would simply _forget_ to mention it. He must have had a reason for deliberately withholding information. And not being allowed to know something only ever made Artemis want to know it more.

On his computer, he was already navigating to his wide selection of hacking scripts. He and Foaly hacked each other all the time, it was like a little game they played. Surely there was no harm in alleviating his current boredom by _acquiring_ the location of Kiril?

 _Alternatively,_ said a more rational voice in Artemis's head, _you could simply ask Foaly. If he refuses to tell you then sure, be suspicious. If not, then no problem._

For reasons that Artemis couldn't quite pinpoint, he dismissed that idea.

Still, as his fingers hovered over his keyboard, ready to begin, something gave him pause for thought.

 _Holly. She's made it clear that she doesn't want me to be a part of her life anymore. After all the mistakes I've made, all the things I've done to her, I can't really blame her. I want to respect her wishes; it's the least she deserves. Would deliberately interfering in what was surely now an LEP operation really be fair to her?_

For a while he wrestled with the internal struggle, but in the end a combination of curiosity and paranoia won out. He justified it by assuring himself that he wouldn't _do_ anything to interfere – he was simply seeking information.

And so he set to work. Foaly had already patched up the back door he had used the previous day, but that was okay. He would have expected no less.

Two hours of hard work later, he was into the LEP mainframe in record time. He supposed that, with everything else going on, Foaly hadn't had a chance to properly shore things up. Normally it took at least four hours to bypass the centaur's encryptions.

Finding the information that he was looking for wasn't difficult. Within about a minute of gaining access he had discovered a brand new LEP mission in Rio de Janeiro to apprehend a target codenamed "Icepick". Closer inspection confirmed his suspicions that this was Kiril. What surprised him, though, was the operatives that were undertaking the mission. Commander K'Azir - the promotion itself was easily anticipated by someone of Artemis's intellect, but he certainly wouldn't have expected the new commander's first move to be to put himself in the field – and Captain Holly Short.

Artemis felt his involuntary intake of breath. He had predicted that Holly would be swamped by council meetings and internal affairs investigations for at least a week after returning to Haven. But it didn't seem like that was the case. Instead, she was (right now in fact, at least according to the information on the screen) flying to Rio and, inevitably, into danger.

 _What if it's a trap? What if I never get to speak to her again? What if her memories of me are wrapped in hatred?_

Artemis's first impulse was to try and help his elfin friend. He wasn't sure how, but he had no doubt that he'd be able to find a way to be of assistance. He was, after all, rather talented.

Again, however, he paused.

 _She doesn't want anything to do with you. Don't interfere. Don't do anything. Leave her be – you know that's what she wants. All you've ever done is cause her pain, time and time again. Why would this time be any different? She's better off without you, and you're better off alone._

And somehow, amazingly, he actually managed to convince himself that that was the truth.

 **A/N: Well there we go, finally finished with the set up. Next chapter will feature some action as Holly and K'Azir make their way to Rio!**

 **As you may have spotted, the scene with No.1 and Holly in "Stirbox" was inspired by a similar scene in TLG. The location and general revitalizing of Holly were both taken from there, though the rest was of course my own creation. It seemed appropriate, considering that this is my TLG alternative and that I really wanted No.1 to feature at least a bit. (Spoilers; at the moment I don't plan on having him really contribute to the plot).**

 **Quick but serious note regarding mental health, read if you want: obviously this chapter features several instances (flashback at the start and thoughts at the end) of Artemis being completely irrational. To some, said irrationality in these sections may have seemed really over the top or out of character, but the thing I wrote about about paranoia is 100% true. As someone who has experienced both paranoia and depression, I can say honestly that they totally screw with your perception of the world. You can literally convince yourself that anything is true; logic simply ceases to be relevant. Unfortunately, the reality of mental illness isn't cute comic relief from Orion or number poetry; it's dark, and it's difficult. In keeping with the theme of this fic as somewhat darker and grittier than canon, I intend to paint a slightly more somber picture of the Atlantis Complex. Anyway, just my two cents. Ignore me if you want xD**

 **Can you guess what I'm going to say? I'm sure you can. You're all clever people. Go on, review! You know you want to...**

 **-Kio**


	15. Shadowed

**A/N: Off to Rio, and something a little more exciting. This chapter is exclusively Holly; there was an Arty scene I wanted to include, but, as this is already too long, that will have to come at the start of the next chapter. I had enormous fun writing this chapter, but fair warning: it does contain a large amount of military jargon, so if you don't like that kind of thing then apologies in advance. I really wanted this to feel like an authentic operation, and, well, you can decide for yourself if I succeeded xD.**

 **To people who weren't entirely sold on Holly's slightly vengeful attitude at the end of last chapter, I will remind you at the end of the 1st book and at the start of the 2nd there are numerous references to her wanting to hurt Artemis and get him back. It's only when he saves Haven that she decides maybe he isn't so bad after all. And don't forget, Amber/Petrenko are responsible for a lot worse here than Artemis was, and Holly isn't exactly herself at the moment.**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 15;**

 **Rio de Janeiro, Brazil**

For the first time in a while, Holly had had the chance to simply strap on a pair of wings and do what she loved most: fly. She and K'Azir had taken an express shuttle through chute E81 to arrive in Brazil, but they still had a short way to go before reaching their destination.

Holly had been quite pleased to learn that they would cover the remaining distance in the air and, as one who knew her would probably expect, immediately disobeyed K'Azir's instructions to "be careful" and "stay at a reasonable speed".

"Captain Short!" roared her commander into his helmet mic. "What in the blazes do you think you're doing going so fast?"

"Just trying to ensure rapid arrival to target destination, sir," replied Holly professionally, not slowing down. Sure, her current speed wasn't exactly _regulation_ , but she had a job to do. There was no way she was letting Kiril slip through her fingers.

K'Azir shook his head. They _had_ warned him.

"Is there anything I can say to make to cut the speed a bit?"

"I doubt it," said Holly jovially, "Sir," she added hurriedly.

With Holly setting the pace, it didn't take at all long to reach the apartment that Kiril's other identity had rented. If all went according to plan, their quarry would be here.

The two LEP operatives hovered over the shabby apartment complex.

Once they were sure it was the right place, Holly began speaking rapidly into her helmet mic.

"Ops, this is Hunter-Two. We are at the target destination. Preparing for insertion."

"Ops copies," replied Foaly from deep under the Earth's crust. "Proceed as planned."

Both Holly and K'Azir banked into steep dives, invisible bullets streaking out of the sky. K'Azir landed lightly on the roof of the complex while his teammate continued down to street level. Thanks for Foaly's shimmer suit, both were completely undetectable to the human and mechanical eye alike.

Once upon a time, the pair would have been troubled by sickness and loss of magic if they entered, but №1 had long since dismantled the old hex forbidding fairies from entering human dwellings without permission.

"Hunter-Two, at insertion point alpha," announced Holly from outside the rear ground entrance. "My way is clear. Awaiting your go."

"Hunter-One, at insertion point bravo," replied K'Azir. "Scanning for contacts; standby."

The elf took out what resembled a small black PDA and held it against the door on the roof. It was, like so much of the LEP's arsenal, designed by Foaly and used a combination of motion sensors, heartbeat sensors and various other gadgets to ascertain whether there were any life forms in a predetermined area.

The screen displayed no red dots, indicating no unidentified life forms.

"Clear," he declared, already pocketing the device and using an omnitool to dismantle the unsophisticated lock. "Breaching in three, two, one…"

On one, he shouldered the now unlocked door inwards and stepped into corridor, neutrino in hand. He wasn't taking any chances. Though he couldn't hear it over the airwaves, he knew that Holly would have just done something very similar at her entry point. The low budget apartments didn't have an elevator, so if Kiril was in the building, the only way he was getting out would be past either Holly or K'Azir on the stairs, or by jumping out of a window. There would be no mistakes – either they captured him or he died trying to escape.

Holly began making her way up towards Kiril's apartment. Her progress was swift, but she remained careful, keeping her footsteps light to avoid making sound. Again, she knew her teammate would be doing the same. Their destination was on the fifth floor out of eleven, so they should more or less arrive at the same time.

No humans got in her way until she reached the fourth floor but then, as she was creeping along the hallway, a large figure emerged from the stairwell leading up to the fifth floor.

"Contact," she said into her mic, grateful that her helmet was entirely soundproofed. "My way is blocked by a human; standby."

She looked more closely at the approaching human. He seemed oddly familiar.

"Computer, identify," she said, enunciating clearly and pointing her helmet's inbuilt camera at the man. Two names flashed up on her head's up display. _Kiril Vasiliev_ and _Alejandro Fernandes_.

For a moment, the man paused, as if sensing that something was wrong. His eyes swept the corridor. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Holly could have sworn they lingered on her a fraction of a second longer than they had on anything else. She suddenly felt very exposed.

"D'Arvit," she muttered, quietly drawing her neutrino. "Ops, this is Hunter-Two. I have a visual on Icepick, fourth floor hall. He is coming towards me. Requesting permission to engage."

"Negative, Holly, hold your position," responded Foaly urgently.

Holly swore again under her breath. She stared at the man at least in part responsible for all her recent suffering through the sights on her neutrino. It wasn't a shot she would be able to miss.

"A have a clear shot; this is a perfect opportunity!"

"Negative," reiterated Foaly.

"We can't be sure of containment," explained K'Azir. "Do not engage. He has no idea you're there."

Holly ground her teeth. She knew it made sense – if she started shooting now, there was a real danger that someone would emerge from their apartment and see them, compromising the People once and for all. There was no LEP team on standby to fix any mistakes they made. They were on their own. Still, that didn't mean she liked just ignoring Kiril.

"New plan," announced K'Azir. "Hunter-Two, keep eyes on Icepick. I will clear his apartment."

Holly backed up slowly and tucked herself away in an alcove. Kiril walked past without even glancing at her.

"Icepick seems unaware. Preparing to follow on foot."

"Copy that, Hunter-Two," said Foaly. "Maintain radio contact; I want constant updates on Icepick's location."

"Willco," said Holly.

Keeping a reasonable distance between her quarry and herself, Holly followed Kiril as he made his way the several flights of stair that she had just ascended. She sighed. Stairs had never exactly been her favorite thing in the world.

Once they reached the foyer, however, Holly faced a dilemma. The reception desk was occupied and the main exit was obstructed by automatic doors; unless she wanted to draw an awful lot of unnecessary attention to herself, she would either have to find another way out or get close enough to Kiril to slip out when the doors opened for him.

She decided to take the second option. More dangerous, certainly – all the Russian man had to do was change his mind about something and turn around and he would pretty much collide with her – but it also minimized the chances that she would lose sight him.

Kiril stepped out into the heat of the Brazilian summer, shadowed by an invisible elf. Holly cursed. The sun and high temperatures weren't exactly ideal for her, but she supposed she didn't have much choice. She hoped that Foaly's advanced suit would more or less protect her from the climate's adverse effects.

"Icepick has exited the apartment complex and is now Oscar Mike," she relayed. Oscar Mike was a military term for on the move. "Hunter-Two is airborne and pursuing."

The elf slapped the ignition for her wings and they sprang to life. Their engine was whisper silent and powered by solar energy – perfect for a situation like this. Combined with her shimmer suit, she could fly around invisible and silent without ever having to worry about running out of magic or power. _Thanks Foaly_ , she thought, but did not say. They were on an important mission, no need to waste time further inflating the centaur's ego.

Holly flew to a height of only about ten meters before she stopped ascending. She tailed Kiril easily through the streets of Rio, busy though they were, waiting for him to do something of interest.

She wasn't forced to wait long. The first thing he did was to pick up a car from a nearby rental. It seemed as though everything had been set up in advance – the car was already waiting outside, all he had to do was pay and leave. Holly wasn't surprised to see him hand over cash. It was pretty typical of a criminal.

"Ops, this is Hunter-Two. Icepick just acquired a vehicle. Standby."

She zoomed in on the car with her helmet camera to find out what the make was.

"It's a dark blue Fiat Palio, registration Lima-Delta-Kilo, Six-Three-Three-Seven."

This was actually great news for Holly. Her wings would have no trouble keeping pace with the car, and it would be much easier to pick out a car in traffic than a single man in a crowd.

"Icepick is mobile. Hunter-Two still has a visual."

Holly was only following for a minute or two before Kiril made another stop. This one was more curious: the notorious Russian criminal had just parked outside a children's toy store. _What on earth is going on?_ she wondered.

"Ops, come in. Icepick is complete a toy shop," she said. Complete was surveillance talk for inside a building. "Hunter-Two no longer has a visual. I need to know everything about that shop now."

With practiced ease, Holly took a quick snap of the shopfront - including its name – and sent it to Foaly.

A few seconds later, the centaur's voice filled her ears.

"We read you Hunter-Two. The shop is a suspected front for a hive of criminal activity. I have hacked into their security system and cameras. You are authorized to enter the building; whatever Icepick is doing in there, we need eyes on."

Stealthily dropping out of the sky, Holly began walking towards the entrance to the shop.

"Hunter-Two is foxtrot, approaching the shop." Foxtrot meant walking. "Where am I clear to enter?" she asked.

Foaly consulted the blueprints he had just obtained and the images from the cameras inside.

"There's a maintenance entrance on the left side. As far as I can see, there are no contacts in that room, but it's dark in there and visibility is poor. Advise switching to night vision. You are authorized to engage any isolated hostiles."

Even though the centaur couldn't see her, Holly nodded. It was more out of habit, she supposed, than anything else.

Once she had reached the described door, she wasted no time in unlocking it with her omnitool. Having taken Foaly's advice and toggled on her night vision, she drew her neutrino and set it to stun. Weapon raised, she pushed open the rusty door and darted in, swiftly checking the corners for enemies.

"Clear."

"Hunter-Two, I have your entrance on camera," Foaly told her. "I'm feeding them a loop, so you shouldn't need to worry about anyone coming to investigate their doors opening for no reason."

Holly was impressed. She remembered back when she and Artemis had infiltrated the Spiro needle. Foaly had needed them to attach one of his devices to the camera network to get him in – now it seemed he could do it all wirelessly.

 _Enough admiring your friend's handiwork!_ she told herself. _You have a job to do._

Taking care to close the door in case someone did come wandering in, Holly waited for Foaly to issue her with further instructions. She didn't have to wait long.

"Hunter-Two, I have a positive ID on Icepick, it looks like he's waiting for someone. He's not far from you, you should be able to…"

Foaly tailed off, and Holly thought she heard him tapping keys frantically.

"Standby, standby. Multiple armed hostiles en route to your location. Hold your position. D'Arvit. Keep a low profile and let them pass, Holly."

Wary of making noise, Holly cautiously backed into a corner. She was confident in her shimmer suit – surely the criminals here wouldn't also have knowledge of fairies? – but that didn't mean she wasn't nervous. You could never really get used to Mud Men pointing their crude guns at you, no matter how many times it happened.

The door (the one leading into the rest of the building, not the one Holly had entered through) opened and in stepped two bulky men, both cradling silenced submachine guns.

Using her helmet lens, she zoomed in on one of the weapons. A moment later, a 3D image of it appeared in the corner of her HUD along with a selection of useful statistics.

"Heckler and Koch MP5," said Lili Frond's voice loudly in her ear. She was again grateful for the soundproofing. "Nine-millimeter sub-machine gun with a thirty round magazine. High rate of fire; extremely dangerous at close quarters. When confronted with armed humans, LEP guidelines recommend retreating immediately and constructing a form of bivouac while in order to await extraction."

 _Bivouac? Brilliant. Orion would love this._

Holly held her breath, even though her helmet would prevent the sound of her breathing from escaping. One of the two men flipped a light switch, flooding the room with illumination. They glanced around and began speaking in Portuguese.

"There's nothing here," said one. "What a waste of time."

The other shook his head in disgust. "Pedro is crazy. He sees demons in every shadow. Next time he complains he can hear doors opening I'm gonna slap him."

The first speaker nodded in agreement. Whoever Pedro was, he didn't sound very popular.

"Come on, let's go."

Holly breathed a sigh of relief as the pair left the room. She thanked her lucky stars when she realized that they had forgotten to close the door behind them.

"Ops, this is Hunter-Two. They've moved on. Am I clear to approach Icepick?"

"Affirmative," answered Foaly. "I see no more contacts between you and Icepick. Head through the open door, turn left and continue to the end of the hall. Take the entrance on your right; the door is already open."

Holly did as instructed, cautious to remain quiet.

"Ops, I have a visual on Icepick. You're right, it looks like he's waiting to meet someone."

This was confirmed a moment later when a man Holly didn't recognize walked in. He and Kiril greeted each other as friends.

"Another Russian," Foaly told her. "Also ex-Mafiya. That's probably how they know each other."

Holly grimaced. It made sense, but it also made her distinctly uncomfortable. How much did this newcomer know? Whatever the case, the exchange was likely to be important.

"Record," she said clearly. A little microphone symbol appeared in the top corner of the visor.

"My friend," the man was saying to Kiril in Russian. "How are you?"

Kiril shook his head. "Not good. You wouldn't believe what Vladimir got us into."

The other man laughed. "Classic Petrenko. One of these days he's going to piss off the wrong person and get himself killed."

"Speaking of which, has he sent you anything?"

Kiril got a nod in response. "He was very secretive, wouldn't tell me anything about what's going on. But he told me to give you these."

The man took a selection of objects out of his pocket and began handing them over.

"Pay-as-you-go phone. His number is the only one on it. He said to only use it once. New identity," he continued, giving Kiril a set of documents. "He said he'll organize travel to France in a few days once things have died down a bit."

The sentence was a goldmine of information. Not only was it fair to assume that Petrenko was in France along with his fairy benefactor, but it seemed that Kiril would soon head there as well. It would be easy to continue tailing him - hopefully he would lead the LEP right to his partners in crime.

"What's that?" asked Kiril, indicating the final object. It resembled a pair of very strange looking goggles, but chunkier and with reflective lenses.

The other Russian shrugged. "I have no idea. Petrenko said, and I quote, "they will help you counter your new adversaries' unique talents". Maybe that means something to you…?"

Comprehension dawned in Kiril's eyes as he realized what the goggles must be for.

It took a moment longer for Holly to figure it out, but when she did, her blood went cold.

"Ops, you reading this?" she said frantically.

"Affirmative," replied Foaly. "Holly, get the Hell out of there. Now. If he even puts those things on, you'll be compromised."

Holly quickly ducked back out of the room so that Kiril no longer had a clear line of site to her, but she didn't exit the building.

"Negative. We can't afford to lose him now."

"Holly-"

"Shut up, Foaly! I have to do this. Keep an eye on the cameras, tell me where he goes or if he puts them on."

Foaly knew better than to try and argue with Holly when she had set her mind on something.

"Roger that, Hunter-Two," he said, trying to return the coms to a more professional standard. "Icepick has put away the goggles, though he looks pretty pleased with them. Thank Frond he isn't wearing them. Standby…"

Holly waited, weapon in hand. She wasn't taking any chances.

"Icepick is Oscar Mike. He's foxtrot towards you, Hunter-Two. Do not engage. Let him leave."

Holly kept still, but tracked Kiril through her neutrino's sights as he passed her. A moment later, Foaly informed her that he had left the building.

"Copy that, Ops," Holly said, already making her way out the way she had come in. "Hunter-Two is in pursuit."

She managed to get outside just in time to see Kiril getting into his car and driving away.

"Hunter-Two has a visual on Icepick. He's back in his vehicle and mobile. I'm following."

Once again, she activated her wings and opened up the throttle, quickly catching up to the disappearing Fiat. Unfortunately for her, this time she wouldn't have the luxury of chasing at a respectable distance – she needed to be close enough to see if Kiril used his new phone.

"Ops, requesting permission to approach Icepick. I need eyes on."

"Absolutely not, Holly!" shouted Foaly, once again abandoning radio protocol. "Don't go near him."

"Roger that, ops," replied Holly calmly, accelerating hard until she was only a few meters behind Kiril's car. She had never really been one for following orders.

"D'Arvit," she heard Foaly mutter. No doubt he was monitoring her helmet feed. "You know in the mission briefing when they said, very firmly, _you will remain in constant contact with Foaly and the Ops team, and you will obey any of their instructions without question_?"

"Rings a bell," murmured Holly distractedly, trying to get a clear view of her target. It was easier said than done when she was flying and he was in a moving vehicle.

"Do you actually know the meaning of the word _obey_?"

"Interesting question," responded Holly, and promptly proceeded to mute the centaur. Right now, she needed to concentrate.

After a few tense moments of careful maneuvering, she finally managed to get alongside the Fiat and level her eyes at Kiril. Thankfully, it seemed as though he was in no rush to call Vladimir yet. Holly had no doubt that the content of that call would be of vital importance to their investigation; if it was made in the car where she couldn't even record Kiril's side of it, it could spell disaster.

Again, Kiril parked the car after only a few minutes driving, this time in a multistory carpark. The stop itself almost proved calamitous for Holly, but fortunately she was able to react just in time to avoid being splattered across the back of her target's ride.

Holly unmuted her link to Foaly. "Ops, this is Hunter-Two. Icepick is static in a carpark."

"Decided to rejoin us, have we Captain Short?" said Foaly, not bothering to hide his bitter tone.

"Standby," continued Holly, ignoring her the centaur. "Icepick is exiting the car; he's paying for a ticket.

Kiril only had to walk a few meters to reach the machine. Holly watched intently as he slotted in a few coins.

"He's paying for half an hour," she said into her helmet mic, her gift of tongues easily allowing her to translate the Portuguese writing. "That's the shortest time. He must be going somewhere nearby. Do I keep eyes on Icepick or search the vehicle?"

There were a few seconds of silence as Foaly contemplated the question. On the one hand, if Holly let Kiril out of their sight and he didn't return to the car, they would lose their only lead. On the other hand, why pay for parking if you were going to leave the car there? And if Holly struck gold and found the phone, she would be able to clone the SIM and plant a bug in it. It was a tough call.

"Stay with Icepick," he said eventually. "We can't afford to risk losing him. He's our only chance."

Holly, who had been watching Kiril finish paying and place his ticket in the windscreen of his car, now turned her gaze to the carpark. She couldn't see anyone else there.

"This place is abandoned," she mused aloud. "I could neutralize Icepick and _mesmerize_ him."

"Negative, Hunter-Two, you are not clear to engage," replied Foaly immediately.

"I have a clear shot!" she said, her frustration evident in her tone.

"I repeat, you are _not_ clear to engage Icepick," reiterated Foaly firmly. "It's too much of a risk."

Holly scowled, but then an idea came to her. After all, she was nothing if not a gifted innovator; it was one of main reasons she was such a good officer. Finalizing her plan, she watched carefully as Kiril began walking away from his car. He had no idea she was there.

"Icepick is foxtrot, but completely unaware," she relayed. "I'm close to him. I can plant a tracker for insurance and still check the vehicle."

Holly held her breath as Foaly considered it. It was certainly a risky suggestion, but she was positive that she would be able to pull it off without being detected.

"Affirmative, Hunter-Two, you are clear to proceed."

Holly smiled. Time to make some progress. She withdrew a tiny LEP tracker from its holding capsule on her belt, taking care not to make any sound, and trotted off after Kiril. Catching up was easy, the Russian man didn't seem in any hurry. All she had to do was wait for him to stop for something.

She got her chance when the two came to a road. Kiril paused to await a brake in the oncoming traffic, and Holly bent low, lightly pressing the tiny cell against the back of his boot. It stuck immediately and adopted the color of leather. Kiril frowned for a moment, as if sensing something was wrong, but did nothing else.

 _Mission accomplished!_ thought Holly smugly. She was still keen to be the one who would apprehend Kiril – actually, _apprehend_ didn't really do justice to what she had in mind – and now she could return to the carpark safe in the knowledge that he now had no way to escape her.

"Icepick is tagged," reported Holly, the hint of a smile dancing on her lips. "Proceeding to investigate target vehicle."

* * *

 **Alejandro Fernandes' apartment, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil**

"A have a clear shot; this is a perfect opportunity!" Holly's increasingly agitated voice was clear in K'Azir's ear.

"Negative." That was Foaly.

K'Azir was torn. Right now, Holly had a clear shot on the man they so desperately needed to bring in. But opening fire in a crowded building was too much of a risk.

"We can't be sure of containment," he said. "Do not engage. He has no idea you're there. New plan. Hunter-Two, keep eyes on Icepick. I will clear his apartment."

K'Azir switched his link to Holly and Foaly to priority mode – this ensured that he would only hear what they said if they prefaced their message with the word priority – and continued his stealthy progress towards the target.

 _I really hope Holly doesn't do anything too stupid,_ he thought. Then, _wow, I suddenly have a lot more sympathy for Root when he used to complain about everyone in recon being difficult to work with_.

He reached Kiril's door without incident, and took out the life-form sensor he had used earlier to clear behind the roof entrance. Sure, in theory the apartment was abandoned, but there no harm in taking a few precautions. They couldn't afford any mistakes on such a crucial mission.

As soon as he had been assured that the apartment was unoccupied, K'Azir unlocked the door with his omnitool and pushed it open, weapon up. He cleared it quickly, expertly checking every corner and cupboard that could conceal an assailant.

"Target apartment is clear," he announced once he was satisfied, and started placing remote listening devices. When he'd finished, his began looking around for useful information. It didn't take long to strike gold. From the very beginning, when Holly had initially been kidnapped, the LEP's biggest problem had been their lack of intel. It seemed like the quality of that intel was about to change.

"Ops, come in," he said excitedly.

"Go ahead, Hunter-One."

"This place is a goldmine of information," he said, flicking through document after document, carefully snapping a high-res photo of each with his helmet camera and sending it back to Police Plaza. "I've got names, dates, places, everything, even a laptop."

He hooked one of Foaly's little gizmos up to the human computer and let it get to work. Within seconds it had bypasses all of the encryption, copied every file and send them all wirelessly back to the centaur himself. K'Azir smiled. It was amazing what Foaly had been able to achieve when Section Eight had given him a decent budget.

"Whoa," came Foaly's voice over the airwaves. For once the centaur had completely forgotten to hide his awe. "This is huge. Get a digital copy of anything you find in there, make sure everything is bugged, then move to assist Captain Short. I'm sending you a live feed of her co-ordinates."

"Roger that, Ops. Hunter-One out."

It felt weird to be following orders from a consultant – especially now that he had been promoted to commander – but K'Azir didn't mind. Right now, he was just another officer in the field, while Foaly had access to all the relevant information. He could make decisions in regard to the wider context of what was going on. Besides, even though it had been agreed beforehand that Foaly would orchestrate the operation, K'Azir had no doubt that Vinyáya was keeping a close eye on the centaur as he issued orders.

He briefly wondering if Holly Short was actually following any of them.

* * *

 **Rio carpark, Brazil**

The elf in question was, in fact, following orders (at least, most of them), but at present, her patience was starting to wear thin. By the time she had returned to the carpark it had become a lot busier. If she could help it, she would rather not have to risk entering Kiril's car in view of witnesses, but she couldn't stand and wait forever.

"Foaly, talk to me. There are humans here. How long to I have?"

"Target is still complete the bank opposite your location," reported Foaly. "Actually… Standby. Icepick is foxtrot, heading towards you, Hunter-Two. I'd estimate you have about two, maybe three minutes before he reaches you."

"D'Arvit," Holly swore. There was no other choice – she'd just have to hope that no-one noticed the Fiat's door open. "I'm going for it."

"Copy that, Hunter-Two. Stay frosty, we'll update you when Icepick is almost there. Ops out."

Holly took a breath. Now or never. She moved quickly towards the car and, once she was satisfied that no-one was looking specifically in her direction, unlocked and opened the driver's door with her omnitool.

She glanced around again. None of the Mud People seemed to be staring at the now open door with incredulity. _Phew_.

Without wasting any time, she scanned the seats and, when she saw nothing of interest, checked the glovebox. Jackpot. The phone was lying right there! This was it – they should surely be able to find Petrenko now. Holly couldn't believe her luck, but she forced herself to keep her excitement under control. The most dangerous bit was still to come.

Even shielding with a shimmer suit – which only required a fraction of the magic that shielding normally did – had its drawbacks. Vibrating incredibly rapidly didn't exactly do wonders for one's fine motor skills, so Holly would have to settle back into the visible spectrum in order to complete her next task.

Ignoring her growing fear, she ducked into the foot well under the steering wheel and deactivated her shield. Working quickly, she made a note of the number stored in the phone, used one of Foaly's gadgets to copy everything on the SIM card and attach a micro bug that would record any calls made. Silently thanking Frond for her good fortune in remaining undetected, Holly returned everything to how she had found it and exited the vehicle just as Foaly informed her that she was running out of time.

Wearing a smug expression that wouldn't have looked out of place on Artemis's face, Holly watched as Kiril returned to the car with a wad of currency in his fist, get in and take out the phone that she had just bugged.

"Ops, this Hunter-Two. Everything is in place. Icepick is about to make a call. Standby."

Holly, Foaly and a large section of Police Plaza listened intently as they awaited the exchange.

" _Kiril?"_

"That's him!" exclaimed Holly excitedly. "That's Petrenko. I'd know that voice anywhere."

" _Da, it's me."_

" _Everything OK in Rio?"_

" _Da, for now. When do I get to come to France?"_

" _Soon, my friend, soon. I'm sending someone for you, a trusted associate. I'll send you the details on this phone an hour before the meet. Don't be late, and do not under any circumstances call me again. Understood?"_

" _Of course. I will see you soon, eh?"_

" _I hope so, my friend. I hope so."_

The line went dead. A huge grin spread across Holly's face. Petrenko would be waiting for his comrade in France, and Holly in turn would be waiting for him. With a big gun and a smile.

 **A/N: Finally, the LEP made some progress. Incredible, right? Respect to anyone who spotted that the final sentence is lifted from the fist book when Holly is thinking about Artemis ;)**

 **Also, as of the last chapter, this fic is now over 60k words, and longer than the first two canon books.. As GMontag pointed out in "The Book of Ages" (which is both the first fanfic I read and my favorite), there aren't nearly enough 60k+ fics, at least in part inspiring me to write this. Yes, I know that's from ages ago, but I only just started reading fanfiction xD. Anyway, a huge thanks to everyone who has supported this story so, it means the world to me and makes writing it a joy.**

 **As always, I really hope you enjoyed and I would love you to review. Please?**


	16. Compromised

**A/N: Just in case anyone is confused when they get to it, Holly's flashback in this chapter is the same event that Artemis remembered in his dream before. Her thoughts and feelings were intentionally excluded when it was Artemis's PoV, and are explored here. Other than that, just enjoy :)**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 16;**

 **Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Thoroughly dissatisfied with his state of mind, Artemis had gone looking for Butler. Finding him wasn't difficult – the manservant spent most of his time not with his charge in the dojo.

"Butler?" called Artemis, pushing open the door to the dojo. "Are you in here?"

Normally he would have simply said "are you there?", but that would have brought his word total up to something… unsatisfactory. Of course, his rationality insisted that nothing bad could come of that number, but he figured it was better to be on the safe side.

"Artemis," came the bodyguard's gravelly tones as he stepped out to meet his charge, his forehead slick with sweat.

The boy gave his friend an amicable nod. "How well are you recovering?"

Butler smiled and shook his head. "Honestly, I don't what we would do without Holly. I should have been dead, but now I feel pretty much fine. No matter how many times I see it, I don't think I'll ever get used to how, well, _magic_ it all is."

Artemis nodded in agreement, but internally winced at the mention of Holly. He had come here to take his mind off such things, not be reminded of them. Unfortunately for him, Butler seemed to notice his discomfort.

"Still not made up with Holly?"

"I came here to discuss your progress," replied Artemis, his voice tinged with a little more hostility than was really justified. "Not Holly Short."

Butler sighed and made a noise of exasperation.

" _I_ am fine, as we have already established. _You_ , on the other hand seem anything but."

"Butler, I assure you that-" the boy began, but his bodyguard cut in sharply before he could finish.

"No, Artemis. You can't just mope around your study all day, every day, refusing to talk to anyone. Something is very clearly the matter, don't bother even trying to deny it. Is it about Holly?"

For a time, Artemis said nothing. A part of him wanted to simply run away from what was quickly developing into a difficult conversation, but another, perhaps neglected, part yearned to simply talk, to be candid. A voice in his head was telling him adamantly that Butler couldn't be trusted, but he ignored it. He had listened to that voice once before, and he had learned his lesson.

Eventually, unwilling or perhaps simply unable to convey what he wanted to say in words, Artemis just nodded.

Butler's expression softened. "Talk to her. Trust me. Whatever this is, the only way to fix it is to talk, and to talk honestly."

He was expecting Artemis to come up with some kind of spiel about how patently ridiculous that idea was, probably backed up with a series of carefully selected pseudo-scientific studies.

Instead, however, Artemis did something that his manservant most certainly did not expect. He laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh, though, as one might hear from a child entranced by the wonder of life; it was a bitter, sarcastic sound, that filled Butler's mouth with a bad taste.

"You actually think this can be fixed," said Artemis in an amused tone. "How very curious."

Butler's face hardened and he took a step closer to his charge.

"That's it?" he growled. "You're giving up? On Holly? After everything the two of you have been through, you're just going to abandon your friendship?"

Butler anticipated outrage from Artemis at the implication that he was a coward. But again, he was mistaken. Artemis almost seemed to shrink away from the accusation, unwilling to really engage with it.

"Call her," instructed the bodyguard in a tone that brooked no argument. "Or I will find a way to contact her, or Foaly, or whoever, and I will _make_ you talk to her."

"Butler," said Artemis quietly. "You do not understand. That is not something I can do in good conscience."

"What do you mean?" asked Butler, frowning. He was puzzled.

Unsure of exactly what to say but unable to see any other options, Artemis settled on the truth.

"Holly has made it clear that she no longer wishes the two of us to remain friends. I intend to honor that wish."

Butler's mouth literally fell open. Normally, the slight raising of an eyebrow was just about all the surprise he would show, even in response to the most shocking revelations. But in that moment, in a spectacular lapse of character, Butler just lost his usual calm.

"What?" he echoed in shock, apparently incapable of articulating a proper sentence.

"I realize now that I have done Captain Short a great deal of harm over the years. I cost her a finger, I lied to her time and time again, I kidnapped her, I caused her to be kidnapped again, I caused her best friend to die. Need I continue? It's little wonder that she has no desire to associate with me any longer. This is her decision, made of her own volition, and I intend to respect that fact."

"You don't miss her?"

Artemis hesitated. "Of course I miss her," he admitted. "But things cannot always be as we want them to be. I will not lie, it would please me if she were to decide to forgive me; however, that is a decision that she must make of her own accord. If she wishes to speak to me, she will call. If she does not call – as I rather suspect will be the case – then it's fair to assume that wants nothing to do with me."

Having said all that he had to say, the troubled boy turned to walk away. Butler stared at the retreating figure, still a little stunned. He had only heard Artemis speak with such disdain for his past actions once before.

"Four!" he shouted, searching for any kind of response from Artemis.

The boy turned slowly, calling on every shred of his iron core that still remained. It was scary, he knew that, but it was the only way. He could not allow Butler to know.

He raised an eyebrow at the bodyguard and arranged his features into his customary smirk.

"I understand your thought process, old friend, but allow me to assure you that you are mistaken. _Four_ is merely a number, and therefore does not bother me in the slightest. You see? Four. Four, four, four. I am not mentally ill; I have merely come to the realization that Holly was, in fact, correct. I am a monster."

And with that, yet another installment in his web of lies, he left.

For perhaps the first time in his career, Butler had no words. _What in Hell did Artemis do to get Holly, of all people, to call him a monster?_ he wondered hopelessly. _And how in Hell am I supposed to fix this?_

* * *

 **Rio de Janeiro, Brazil**

Vladimir Petrenko had organized Kiril to meet his associate the day after speaking to him. Since the LEP had monitored all communication between the two of them, Holly and K'Azir now found themselves setting up shop in a partially constructed apartment complex overlooking the meet.

"Foaly, are you sure absolutely sure we're safe here?" asked Holly into her helmet mic. She wasn't entirely sold on the idea of turning her back and waiting when at any time Mud Men could return and discover them.

Deep underground, the centaur rolled his eyes. "For the umpteenth time, yes. Work was put on hold due to financial problems and won't start again for at least another month."

"So you say," muttered Holly. "But humans don't always do what they are supposed to."

Despite her misgivings, she couldn't deny that, from a tactical point of view, the location was perfect. Kiril was scheduled to meet the mystery associate in the vehicle loading area within the construction yard. She and K'Azir were set up in what was to one day become a large communal area on the third floor of the complex; floor space was expansive but there were no furnishings – in fact, on one side, there wasn't even a completed wall. From this nest, however, the two fairies would have a perfect view and remain totally undetectable. Thanks to Kiril's anti-shield goggles, using shields alone would no longer guarantee their safety. Instead, they would have to also rely on their surroundings to camouflage them – somehow they doubted the odd-looking goggles also contained x-ray filters.

K'Azir lay looking down the sights of a modified plasma rifle; if, for whatever reason, things didn't go according to plan, they would return to their original plan to neutralize Kiril and interrogate him under the _mesmer_. The entire area was abandoned as a result of a plethora of signs warning about the dangers of a construction area, so there would be a very low chance of anyone witnessing the event.

Holly, as the recon officer, was in charge of surveillance and pursuit. She crouched with a hand on her wings' ignition; she would be ready to follow either Kiril or his contact at a moment's notice. The pair had already set up listening equipment that would remotely transmit any exchange to Police Plaza and self-destruct later to destroy evidence of the People.

"Ops, this is Hunter-One," said K'Azir. "All Hunters are in position and standing by."

"Copy that, Hunter-One. Icepick is mobile and headed to the RV, ETA three minutes," Foaly told them. RV was an abbreviation for Rendezvous, meaning a meeting point. "Five minutes to the deadline. You are clear to engage all unidentified contacts at your discretion. Standby."

Holly smiled grimly. "Clear to engage all unidentified contacts" was her kind of mission brief. Still, if all went well, they wouldn't have to fire a shot. All they had to do was wait, listen and follow. If they were lucky, they would have Petrenko by the end of the day.

A few minutes later Foaly's voice again filled Holly and K'Azir's helmets.

"All Hunters, this is ops. Icepick is about ten seconds away. Standby."

For a moment, Holly and K'Azir shared a look. It was a look not between a superior and a subordinate, but between two soldiers. Two friends, alone amongst enemies. It was a look that of trust, one that said "Whatever happens, I've got your back." When they turned back to the carpark, Kiril was already ambling towards them.

"Hunter-One has a visual and a clear shot on Icepick," reported K'Azir immediately. "He's foxtrot, complete the RV."

"Copy that, Hunter-One. Stay frosty."

Kiril took didn't seem in a hurry. In fact, he did an excellent of seeming completely innocuous. Holly checked her visor's clock: sixty seconds. She scanned the area, her eyes searching expertly for a sign of the Russian man's contact.

A minute passed. Then another.

"Ops, this is Hunter-One. Icepick is static and clearly waiting for someone, but no one is showing up yet."

"Rio traffic is a nightmare," answered Foaly, trying but failing to hide the note of nervousness in his voice. "I'm sure the contact is just a little late. Hold your position."

"Roger that."

Another minute passed. Then another five. Kiril was starting to look increasingly concerned.

"Ops, still no indication that anyone is coming," said K'Azir, now sounding distinctly worried. "Do you think-"

"Standby, standby!" interjected Holly. "Icepick is taking out his phone. I think he's going to call Petrenko."

"Copy that," replied Foaly. "I'll relay our recording to your helmets."

A few moments later, Kiril's voice filled Holly's ears.

"What the Hell is going on, Vladimir?" he was shouting, not bothering to hide his anger. "Where is your-"

"My apologies, Vasiliev," replied a cold voice that most certainly did not belong to Vladimir Petrenko. It was a female voice. A voice Holly knew. "Your service will be remembered."

"I know her!" she exclaimed. "She was in Pripyat. Vlad called her Natalya."

"Natalya?" asked Kiril, clearly puzzled. Holly could see his brow furrow even from her concealed nest. "What is this?"

The girl did not answer him. Instead, she addressed someone that she definitely was not supposed to know was listening.

"Holly Short. I should have killed you in Pripyat."

Holly was so shocked that it took a moment for her to register the full implications of what had just been said. To realize the full extent of the danger. She barely noticed as K'Azir leapt to his feet and grabbed her.

"Get out!" he screamed, shoving her roughly towards the uncompleted wall.

Holly tried to say something, but K'Azir was already running. Without questioning, she followed. She couldn't even hear their heavy footfalls, only her heartbeat. It felt like it was in her throat.

K'Azir reached the opening and threw himself out, slapping the ignition for his wings, but Holly was a way behind.

 _Almost there!_ she told herself. _Just five more steps! Three more, two more, one…_

And then the world erupted in fire.

* * *

 _Holly took a deep breath and pushed open the door._

" _Hey, Arty," she said, coming and sitting on the edge of the boy's bed. "How are you feeling today?_

 _He looked pale – even by his standards – but that had rather become the norm since Artemis had begun treatment for Atlantis. Shock therapy and psychoactive drugs always took their toll on a body, and Artemis was no exception. She hated seeing him like this, seeing him hurt, or ill, or upset, but she knew it was the only way._

" _I am well enough, Captain," Artemis replied after a brief pause._ No doubt counting the words in advance _, she thought bitterly. Of course, the sentence had come out as five words. They always did; five or a multiple of it._

" _Captain? Are we strangers?" she asked, laying a hand on his. It was cold. Clammy._

 _Artemis looked away. "Could you please add another word to your sentence, Holly?"_

 _Holly sighed, frustrated. Some days she was happy to play along, but today was not one of those days. The fact that Artemis counted his own words was bad enough, but the way he expected her to as well infuriated her._

" _You have to fight it. You have to. And you didn't answer my question. Are we strangers?"_

 _Artemis didn't look entirely satisfied, but neither did he flinch. Though she hadn't been counting, Holly guessed that the length of her sentence had been neither a multiple of four nor five._

" _I do not know," the boy admitted. "Are we? I thought I knew you. I thought we were friends. But then why am I so sure that you are planning to betray me? To destroy me? The Holly I knew would never do that. Are you even her?"_

" _Of course I am," holly replied gently. She wasn't sure if she was comforted by that fact that he knew she would never harm him, or appalled that he thought that right now she planning to betray him. "And you're right, I would_ never _do that. It's the Atlantis Complex that's making you think that."_

 _Artemis didn't look convinced. "I want to believe you," he said cautiously. "But that is exactly what you would say if were trying to gain my trust in order to kill me."_

Kill him? Frond… I would never… _thought Holly. She closed her eyes for a minute, clenching her fists._ Patience _, she told herself._ It wasn't him that said that, it was the sickness. _It still hurt though. A lot. How could it not? There was her best friend, saying completely seriously that she was planning to try and kill him. What could she even say to that? She exhaled, trying to regain some of her calm._

" _Artemis, please listen to me. I don't want to hurt you."_

 _Again, her friend seemed unsure. Holly could almost see the cogs turning in his head as he tried to figure it out. Tried to reconcile what she was saying with the insanity clawing at his mind. And then, like that, his expression turned from suspicion to guilt._

" _I'm sorry Holly," he said desperately. "For everything I did. I'm so sorry."_

 _Holly frowned for a moment, but then realized. Atlantis could be like this sometimes; one minute, Artemis would be paranoid as anything, convinced that everyone was against him. The next, he would be back to wallowing in guilt and sorrow, convinced that he was a monster and didn't deserve to get better. There was no rhyme or reason to it, no way she could see to predict the abrupt changes. It was… illogical. The old Artemis would have hated it._

" _You don't have to apologize to me for the things you did in the past every five minutes, Mud Boy."_

 _Artemis paused, thinking. He blinked and the hostility returned to his eyes._

" _Stay back, fairy! Stay back!" he shouted, waving a manic finger at Holly. He turned away from her and began beating a frantic rhythm of fives on the table next to him._

Oh well, _she thought,_ back to paranoia. _She wasn't sure which she hated more. Of course, it was impossible not to be hurt by such a display from such a close friend, but as she had become accustomed to doing, Holly pushed the pain away._

" _Artemis…" she said softly. "Please…"_

 _For a moment, the boy seemed almost lucid. He averted his eyes and stopped tapping._

" _Not real," he muttered. "You're not real. Get. Out. Of. My. Head."_

 _After a minute of silence, Artemis raised his head and looked at Holly._

" _My apologies," he said formally. "You'll have to forgive me. I wasn't myself."_

 _Holly smiled. There was no doubt that helping to care for Artemis while he was suffering from Atlantis was not an easy task – it took more than its fair share out of her, both physically and emotionally – but the moments like this made it worth it. Every now and then, a sliver of the old Artemis would shine through the layers of madness, renewing her hope and making her stomach flip in a way that she really couldn't explain._

" _It's OK," she said, taking her time to enjoy the moment. "I know it's hard. It means a lot that you try for me."_

 _The boy smiled back, and the façade of normalcy continued. Holly felt for all the world like they were their old selves again, like Artemis was free of crippling mental illness and she was free of the pain that came alongside. Holly looked into her own eye staring back at her and realized that, for the first time in weeks, the shadow behind it was gone._

 _She wasn't sure why, but she suddenly had the urge to be_ closer _to Artemis. She reached to touch his shoulder, just to lay a hand on it, a comforting hand, but he recoiled. Just like that, the illusion of sanity was shattered. Artemis's eyes regained their mistrustful quality, scanning her face suspiciously for any indication of conspiracy._

 _The only outward sign Holly gave of unhappiness was a characteristic sigh, but internally she was distraught. The façade had lasted just long enough for her begin to believe in it, and now it was gone. She felt emptier than she had in a long time._

" _Artemis, I'm sorry, I just… it hurts you know. You being like this. It hurts me."_

 _It was hard for her to admit it, but it was true. The way Artemis was at the moment hurt her more than he would ever know. It also turned out to be the wrong thing to say. Again, uncertainty flashed across Artemis's face, but it was replaced in a heartbeat by regret._

" _No Holly,_ I'm _sorry. I always hurt you. Always me."_

 _Holly felt like screaming. How many times did she have to tell him that she didn't hate him before he believed her?_

" _For goodness sake, Mud Boy! Don't talk like that. It's not true, and somewhere in that big brain of yours you know it!"_

 _Artemis furrowed his brow. "I'm afraid I don't understand."_

" _Yes, you do, Artemis," she said firmly._

 _He flinched, and looked at her with hurt in his eyes._

" _Please can you add another word to your sentence, Holly."_

 _Holly snapped. She would not add another word to her sentence. It was too much. All the pain and frustration and the anger and a few other feelings towards Artemis that she couldn't name, buried and repressed for too long, burst forth._

" _No I bloody well won't!" she shouted. "D'Arvit, Artemis, why do you do this? Why? It's just a fucking number!_ _Nothing more. Nothing. Why can't you see that?"_

 _She didn't notice the hurt flash across Artemis's face. Didn't notice the pain in his eyes. She wasn't ready to start feeling guilty yet. She still had more to say._

" _Just snap out of it, alright? D'Arvit, just snap out of it!" she reached out a hand and slapped Artemis across the cheek, harder than she had intended to. "Four! Four! See, Artemis? Nothing exploded, no-one died. It's just a number; I can say it as much as I want and nothing bad will happen. Four, four, four, four!"_

 _For a few seconds, Holly said and did nothing. She just stood, staring at her human friend, letting the anger leave her. Artemis had curled up into the fetal position and lay there, crying, pitiful, shaking his head and muttering. Only then did Holly begin to realize the full extent of what she had done. Her expression of anger turned one of horror. Horror at herself._

" _Artemis, I'm so sorry."_

" _Artemis, please."_

" _I didn't mean it, I just… I don't know. I was angry. Please forgive me."_

" _Artemis… I don't know what came over me, it's just to me it's only a number, so it's really hard to understand, I know it's more to you, I just…"_

" _I'm sorry, Artemis, you hear me? I'm sorry!"_

 _It occurred to her that she was now crying as well, but she didn't care. She tried touching Artemis, cradling his head in her hands, but still he did not respond. She wondered if he was even aware of her, or whether he was too deep inside his cocoon of madness._

 _How could she have done that? She knew how much power the number had over him. And she had tortured him with it. Why? Because she was frustrated? That hardly made it OK. It wasn't even his fault; he did his best. She had tried so hard to regain his trust, and now this. She had more than undermined all of her previous efforts. Would he ever trust her again?_

" _Arty, please, I'm so sorry," she whispered._

 _Still, the boy made no indication that he could hear her or that he cared. Eventually, she had to admit defeat. Face wet with tears, she left, hating herself. Perhaps she would be able to coax a response from him tomorrow._

Distant sounds cut through the memory. Holly slowly began to become aware of reality, but the world was hazy. Unclear. _I miss Artemis_. She felt herself being dragged, but she didn't know who by or where to. She realized that she may be in danger, but she didn't have the energy to do anything about it.

Over the next few seconds, she recalled how she had come to be this way. She was surprised that she felt no pain, but didn't dwell on it.

Slowly, steadily, the world sharpened and came into focus. She opened her eyes.

"Captain Short! _Holly!_ "

The voice was familiar. K'Azir.

"Sir?" she asked groggily.

K'Azir reached down and grabbed her arm, pulling her upright.

"On your feet soldier."

Holly blinked a few times, collecting herself. They were concealed behind construction equipment about thirty meters from the apartment complex.

"What happened?"

"Your momentum combined with that of the detonation threw you out the building. You were hurt badly, but you were healing. I didn't want to move you, but…" he gestured to the flaming wreckage of the building. It was already being swarmed by humans.

"How long was I out?"

The other elf shrugged. "Thirty seconds, maybe."

"Sitrep?"

K'Azir laughed. "Our suits are shredded. Wings, armor, helmets, everything."

Holly's visor was smashed, but if it had still been able to display anything then she knew that she would see a large skull icon and the words "System Failure".

"Any coms?"

K'Azir shook his head. "Already tried. Nothing."

Holly began pulling tearing the destroyed tech off her. It was no use now. Hopefully Foaly could remote self-destruct it later. K'Azir followed suit.

"Alright," he began. "We need to find a way to contact Haven."

"Negative," replied Holly immediately. "I'm going after Kiril."

"You will do no such thing!"

"With respect, commander," Holly said, indicating the burning husk of the apartment complex. "We lost everything we had in that explosion. Our hope dies with Kiril. You think they'll just let him walk around Rio forever, knowing what he knows? No. I have to get to him."

"This is preposterous!" exclaimed K'Azir. "You'll expose the People!"

Holly shook her head, running some calculations in her head. "With no shimmer suit, I have enough magic left for maybe forty minutes of shielding. I'll hunt him, you contact Haven. We can still succeed here."

K'Azir looked angry. "Do I need to remind you of our ranks, Short?"

"Fire me if you have to, _sir_ ," said Holly, and the fiery determination in her eyes made it clear that she wasn't messing around. "But I'm doing this. It could be the difference between life and death for the People. As far as I'm concerned, that's worth more than my career."

"D'Arvit, Holly," said K'Azir resignedly. "You better not mess this up. Now go, get out of here before I change my mind. I'll try and organize extraction."

 **A/N: Since this chapter and the next are very much two parts of one incident, I will upload the next one tomorrow (it's already written, I just need to proof read it). Call it an early Christmas present. Unless you don't celebrate Christmas, in which consider it something else.**

 **Anyway, I really hope you guys are continuing to enjoy this story, and as always I would love to hear your thoughts by way of a review :D**

 **-Kio**


	17. Wretched

**A/N: Holly is unleashed. Merry Christmas everyone :D**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 17;**

 **Rio de Janeiro, Brazil**

The mission to capture Kiril Vasiliev, codename Icepick, had been one of highest priority LEP operations in some time. Even though it had originally just been a simple "Snatch and Grab" mission, Foaly had still insisted that Holly and K'Azir be kitted out with pretty much everything that he had available. Just in case. Even though most of equipment was now entirely inoperable, his forward thinking would still prove vital.

A few decades back, the LEP had used very unsophisticated tracker pills containing only a tiny transmitter that emitted harmless radiation that could in turn be picked up by the tracker's foil wrapper. Mulch had even used just such a tracker to hunt down Doodah Day to help break into the Paradizo Chateau a few years back. Naturally, though, the LEP had long since developed far more advanced, digital tracking systems, rendering the old pills defunct.

While working in Section Eight, Foaly had, in his bid to "think of everything", engineered a sort of hybrid device: it contained the necessary technology to wirelessly transmit its location to Police Plaza (to the nearest half meter), but could also be manually located using the unique frequency of the emitted radiation in case the user lost the ability to access the digital tracking software.

These hybrid tracker pills were the ones that had been issued to Holly and K'Azir for the mission in Brazil, and were what Holly was now relying on to find Kiril. She may have lost the functionality of almost her entire arsenal of LEP equipment, but she still had the tracker pill's casing.

Thankfully for her, these were a little more sophisticated than the original pills. The case included a compass that would give an exact direction to reach he target.

She looked at the needle and smiled, wasting no time in breaking into a run. She was more grateful than ever of №1's magic boost – she doubted she would still have magic left to shield without it. Even so, this would be touch and go. She needed to find Kiril fast.

After a few minutes a hard running, weaving through pedestrians on the busy Rio streets, Holly again consulted the compass. It told her that she was significantly closer than she had been before. Hopefully that meant that Kiril hadn't found a car to drive and was retreating on foot as well.

As she continued, she tried not to think about the number of LEP guidelines she was currently breaking. Running through human streets, in broad daylight, with low magic and no support was not exactly in the handbook. _In fact,_ she thought, _I'm pretty sure I remember in the academy being told expressly to never ever do this under any circumstances ever. Several times. Oh well._

She realized that she had completely meant what she had said to K'Azir about her career. It was true that she loved working in recon more than anything else in the world, but there wasn't much that she wasn't prepared to sacrifice in order to protect the People. She had risked both her career and her life more than times than she could remember.

Ever since being kidnapped at the Irish ritual site, Holly had really struggled to feel at ease. She had tried, but she hadn't found herself able to simply push the trauma out of her head. It was always there, like a parasite, eating away at her mind. The pain and the fear hadn't disappeared once she had been dragged out of that Hell in Pripyat, they had just been beaten down. They had become secondary emotions instead of dominant ones, but they were still there. Always there.

It had been the same after her initial encounter with Artemis. Only when she had grown to trust and even like him had she been able to really move on. Right now, the people responsible for her ordeal were out there, and they were planning something – that she was certain of. And one way or another, she was going to find them. She was going to stop them. It was the only way she would be able to deal with the trauma and move on.

She took another glance at the compass. According to it, her target was less than a hundred meters away. She smiled a vicious smile that would have reminded anyone able to see her of a certain Irish teenage genius. Or possibly a vampire. It was hard to decide which.

"I'm coming for you," she muttered, causing a passerby to adopt a very confused expression. To him, it must have seemed like thin air was speaking.

Holly scanned the area that she now knew Kiril was in. After a minute, she spotted him. _Bingo._ She started off at a jog, carefully drawing her neutrino. Still, she couldn't neutralize him here – there were far too many people around to notice a laser beam emerging from nothing. Very suspicious. No, she would have to wait for the perfect chance.

She slowed down as she got closer. Now there were only twenty meters separating her from her target. Now ten. Kiril was desperately trying to make a connection on a pay phone, but it seemed like whomever he was calling wasn't picking up. Holly was closer to hear the string of Russian swear words he let loose in frustration.

 _You're out of friends,_ she thought. _Out of luck. Out of time._

Kiril looked really worried now. His train of thought was probably similar to Holly's as he registered, for the first time, quite how alone he was, and how much danger he was in. He glanced around furtively, and gaze lingered for a moment on an unusual shimmer in the air.

 _D'Arvit!_ realized Holly. _I'm too close. He'll work it out. He'll realize that there is a fairy here!_

She could almost see the cogs turning in the Russian brute's brain. His eyes widened comically as he finally figured it out. He fumbled with something in his pocket, and took out the strange goggles that he had been sent earlier. He jammed them on his face in a hurry and looked straight into Holly's eyes. The two regarded each other coolly for a few moments, Holly invisible to everyone else but unable to act for fear of compromising herself.

Then Kiril ran. The super-fit elfin captain was after him in a heartbeat, but no amount of physical fitness can overcome biology – the Russian man was almost twice her height. Their speeds were similar, but there was no way she could catch him.

 _What choice do I have?_ she wondered as she sprinted after her quarry. _It's not exactly like I can just give up. Maybe my stamina can outlast his._

Kiril took a series of complicated turns, carving an intricate pathway through Rio's alleyways. _Is there a plan at play here, or is he just running? What if he is trying to lead me somewhere?_

The question was answered a minute later. _D'Arvit!_ though Holly as she realized where Kiril was headed. In front of her, the affluent cityscape gave way to the infamous favelas, a sprawling mess of slums and poverty. She watched with horror as her target disappeared into the jumble of people and buildings. There was no way she would be able to pursue through the narrow favela streets – they were far too crowded.

Holly paused, an idea forming in her mind. She couldn't chase him on the ground. But maybe she could follow from above…

Reenergized by the possibility that there might be hope after all, Holly set off again, climbing up the side of the nearest hovel. She swore as she cut her finger on the rough metal, but despite the vibration from her shield managed to mount the roof. Her feet echoed loudly off the corrugated iron as she gave chase, but she couldn't help that. Any occupants might be confused, but hopefully no-one would actually be able to detect her.

She couldn't see Kiril anymore, but she still had the tracking compass. She hurried off in the appropriate direction, leaping the short distance between rooftops.

It occurred to her that like this, she might actually be able to make faster progress than her quarry. She smiled. This wasn't over just yet.

Ahead of her, atop the Corcovado mountain, the iconic and immense statue of Christ overlooked the city of Rio. The favelas stretched over the mountain's foothills, forming their own impressive peaks. According to her compass, Kiril was headed to the tallest of theses peaks.

The elf sighed. Mountain climbing had never really been her thing. Nevertheless, she continued, jumping from house to house, scaling walls and ladders, invisible to the poverty stricken humans all around her.

 _This place breathes deprivation,_ she reflected, shaking her head in disgust. _There may be those in Haven who aren't as well off as others, but there is nothing like this. Does humanity have no compassion, leaving so many of its own to suffer this fate?_

Holly was getting closer to Kiril all the time. As she pulled herself onto the roof yet another hovel, she took a moment to take stock of her situation. According to the tracker, Kiril had also stopped moving - perhaps he had elected to do the same thing.

The two seemed to spot each other at the same time; Kiril from the low ground, Holly from the high. Invisible to the rest of the world, Holly smiled and gave a jaunty wave. She noted with no small satisfaction that the Russian man looked out of breath. She herself felt fine, but she estimated that she only had enough magic left for perhaps another twenty minutes of shielding. If she didn't catch Kiril soon, the game was up.

Not keen to allow her target any more time to catch his breath, Holly set of again, sprinting towards Kiril. Immediately he turned tail and continued to flee. He was slower though, than he had been before. It was clear that wouldn't be able to run much longer.

Once again the Russian disappeared into throngs of people, this time into what Holly guessed was some kind of rudimentary market. She wasn't worried though – she was confident she would be able to get to him.

Now that they had lost sight of each other, Holly decided to try and get a little clever. She dropped off her current level of rooftops to the level below, putting a mound of hovels between her and Kiril. She continued moving in his direction, but now parallel to him instead of above. Her progress was slow, but she still kept pace. Hopefully he would expect her to still be on the high ground and she would be able to sneak up on him.

The higher they climbed, the less people there were and the denser their surroundings became. Holly still couldn't see her target, but she guessed that once she was close, she would be able to attempt a takedown without there being any witnesses.

Even though success seemed close at hand, Holly was getting worried. Her shield was getting weaker and weaker every second; at this rate she might capture Kiril, but she would be visible soon after and unable to make her way out of the favelas. She shuddered at the thought. She wouldn't be able to hide here for long – she hoped that K'Azir was making progress with Haven. It was hard to bear the thought after she had put in so much hard work to get to Kiril, she would end up exposing the People herself.

Holly was wrestled from her thoughts by a sight ahead of her. The unmistakable form of Kiril was slowly pulling itself up a ladder in front of her. He looked exhausted; beaten. Holly ducked to the side, out of sight, and began working her way around to the building where she had seen her target.

A glance at the tracker's compass told her that he had stopped moving, presumably due to lack of energy. Perhaps he hoped that he had lost her – there was no reason that he would know about the tracker.

After about thirty seconds of scrambling, Holly found herself directly underneath her quarry. _Perfect_ , she thought, pushing open the door to the stack of hovels. It would look more than a little odd to anyone who happened to be inside, but that was a risk she would have to take. She was too close now to give up.

Weapon drawn, she swiftly scaled the several flights of stairs. Kiril still hadn't moved. Holly had minutes left of shield; it was now or never. _I really hope it's not never._

Sure enough, when she emerged, Kiril was stood right in front of her. He had his back to her, no doubt scanning the rooftops for any sign of her.

Holly held her breath. She considered saying something macho, but decided that it would be unprofessional; she couldn't afford any mistakes. Not now. Taking care not to make a sound, she took a step forward. She was close enough to hear Kiril's heavy breathing. She took another step. And another. She was close enough to reach out and touch him now.

Wasting no time, Holly roughly shouldered the big Russian forward. Tired and caught off guard, he stumbled over the lip, falling a good two meters. With no small amount of noise, he smashed through the roof of the unoccupied house below.

A moment later, Holly landed nimbly next to him. Before he had a chance to do anything, the elf had grabbed a lamp and his hit him hard in the face with it. His nose exploded in blood and he yelped in pain. Holly hit him again, this time in the chest, and deactivated her shield. She would save the last few drops of magic for a final minute of shielding if she needed it later.

"Remember me?" she snarled, tearing the anti-shield goggles from Kiril's face and tossing them aside. The Russian man stared defiantly at her. Holly responded with another swing of the lamp.

Howling with pain and clutching his manhood, Kiril writhed around on the floor like a wounded animal. Which, Holly supposed, was exactly what he was.

"I asked you a question."

" _Da_ ," spat Kiril. "You're the fairy bitch from Pripyat."

The "fairy bitch" dropped the lamp and stamped on his face.

"Call me that again," Holly said in a low voice. "Go on; I dare you."

For a moment, the Russian held her gaze, but quickly wilted under the iron determination in it.

"What do you want from me?" he asked resignedly.

" _Tell me where Vladimir Petrenko is,"_ she intoned, her voice layered with the hypnotic fairy _mesmer_.

The effect was immediate. Kiril's eyes lost their spite in favor of a docility that looked alien on his hardened face.

"France," he whispered.

" _Where in France?_ " inquired Holly, pushing the _mesmer_ harder.

"I don't know exactly. Somewhere in the Southeast, near the alps. He went to visit his mistress."

" _Tell me about her_ ," ordered Holly, sensing a breakthrough.

"She's a fairy, a centaur. I met her once. She promised me everything I could ever want." Kiril smiled at the memory, but then his eyes took on a fearful quality. "But she's terrifying. She loves to hurt people."

Holly shuddered. Anyone sadistic enough to really scare someone Kiril was not someone she looked forward to meeting.

" _Do you know her name?_ "

The _mesmerized_ man nodded. "At least I think so. Maybe she was lying, but she said her name was A-"

Kiril stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening slightly. A look of surprise flitted across his face before his features contorted with pain. He tried to speak, but though his mouth formed shapes, no sound came out.

Holly stared in horror as the man in front of her exhaled his last and slumped forward. The hilt of a knife protruded from his back. Holly looked up immediately, her eyes darting from rooftop to rooftop, searching frantically for the killer.

It wasn't hard to find her. Natalya, the girl from Pripyat, was crouched catlike about twenty meters away. She appeared exactly as Holly remembered her; beautiful and sinister, clad in black with twin swords strapped to her back. She blew Holly a quick kiss and was gone before the elf had even had a chance to fire her neutrino, her long hair dancing in the breeze.

Holly stood, staring at the spot where Natalya had been, weapon half up. After a time, she lowered her gaze to rest on the fallen corpse of Kiril in front of her. Their final chance to hunt down Petrenko lay slain, its form bloody and broken.

 _I failed,_ she thought simply. _This is it. It's over. We lost._

It was almost too much to bear. Vladimir had stood over her and laughed as she was tortured. He would face no justice. This centaur, whatever her name was, had murdered Trouble and every single fairy in Retrieval One. She would face no justice.

Now, the two could execute whatever plan they desired without fear of the LEP breathing down their necks. If they wanted to, they could expose the People. Holly didn't know exactly how things would go if that happened, but she was sure of one thing: it would end in fire. Haven would lie in ruins. Everything that she had spent her life trying to protect would be consumed by hatred and war. It was too much.

 _Pull yourself together!_ she tried to tell herself, but there was no conviction in the words.

"It's out of my hands now," she said aloud. It was true; there was nothing she could do now. Along with the rest of the LEP, her only choice now was to wait for something to happen and pray that they would be able to deal with it then.

At least, that was if she survived that long. She had no idea how long would be able to hide in this dilapidated shack – eventually a curious human or even a resident would come and discover her. She had enough magic for a minute of shielding at most, but what then? She wouldn't be able to shoot her way out, that was for certain.

All she could really hope for was that the K'Azir somehow got to her before the Mud Men did. All LEP gear had inbuilt tracking devices, and despite the explosion in the construction yard, she had no doubt that at least some of them would have survived. Police Plaza would know where she was, it was just a question of whether they could reach her in time.

"Out of my hands," she repeated quietly. It was oddly comforting. She had spent so long fighting, never giving up, always with the weight of the world on her shoulders that she had forgotten what it was like not to have some great responsibility bearing down on her. It was almost liberating, not to have to worry about what her next move was.

She remembered the last time she had felt this way. She had sat down atop the Temple of Artemis exhibit next to her human friend and given up all hope. They had accepted that they were about to die.

 _Holly drew back her arm and sent the power cells skidding across the roof. It seemed then this that was it. She felt more frustrated than scared. Julius's final order had been to save Artemis, and she hadn't managed to accomplish even that._

" _I'm sorry you don't remember Julius," she said. "You two argued a lot, but he admired you behind it all. It was Butler he really liked, though, those two were on the same wavelength. Two old soldiers."_

 _Below them, the trolls were gathering themselves. Blinking away the stars in their eyes._

 _Artemis slapped some of the dust from his trousers._

" _I do remember, Holly, I remember it all. Especially you. It's a real comfort to have you here."_

 _Holly was surprised. Shocked, even. More by Artemis's tone than what he had actually said, though that was surprising too. She had never heard Artemis sound so warm, so sincere. Usually, emotional displays were difficult for the boy, and he stumbled through them awkwardly. This wasn't like him at all._

" _That's very nice, Artemis," she said after a moment's consideration. "But you don't have to pretend for me."_

 _Artemis was puzzled. "How did you know? I thought I portrayed the emotions perfectly."_

 _Holly looked down at the massing trolls. They were advancing warily up the slope, heads down in case of a second flash._

" _Nobody's that perfect. That's how I knew."_

Holly exhaled slowly. It had been reassuring to be with a friend at that dark hour. Now, she was all alone. None of her friends were there to offer words of courage or comfort this time. Trouble was dead, Foaly and №1 were deep underground, Butler was probably in Ireland and she had succeeded in completely alienating Artemis.

 _Artemis._ For reasons she couldn't explain, she knew that in that moment, it was his presence that she missed most.

"I wish you were here now, Artemis," she whispered. "I'm sorry I shouted at you, I'm sorry I hit you. I'm sorry I said all of those things to you."

She closed her eyes, willing herself to stay strong.

 _I miss you._

Holly was wrenched from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps nearby. She looked up. It was starting to get dark now, the first colors of the sunset beginning to tinge the edges of the sky. The steps were nearer now, and she could hear voices.

 _Human voices,_ she realized with horror. _No doubt coming to investigate the damage to the house._

Holly placed an unenthusiastic hand on her neutrino. She knew it would be better stun anyone that came in take her chances than to just give up and resign herself to being discovered, but her heart wasn't in it.

Two humans emerged from the stairwell, chatting animatedly in Portuguese. They froze the moment they saw Holly. Apparently they weren't accustomed to coming home to see dead body and a fairy in their house.

Holly smiled weakly. The humans just stared in shock. And then, all of a sudden, they collapsed. Holly furrowed her brow and raised her weapon. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to shoot, but it nevertheless comforting.

"Lower your weapon, captain," instructed a disembodied voice. Three elves clad in LEP gear materialized out of thin air.

Holly, more than a little relieved, did as she was told.

"You took your sweet time," she smiled.

"Don't you dare," replied K'Azir, removing his helmet to show her that it was him. He indicated Kiril's body. "Care to explain yourself?"

Holly shook her head. "Not my doing. I tried to _mesmerize_ him but apparently Natalya didn't like that idea."

"D'Arvit," muttered K'Azir, frowning. "You get anything before she killed him."

He got a shrug in response. "A little. He confirmed that a fairy was behind everything – a centaur – and he narrowed down Petrenko's location to southeast France, near the alps. Nothing else I'm afraid."

"That's not a lot to go on."

Holly cast her eyes down. "I know, I'm sorry. If I had been faster-" she began, but K'Azir cut her off.

"Don't. It's more than we would have had otherwise." He gestured to the unconscious humans and addressed the other LEP officers with him. "Get those two wiped."

The elves nodded and set to work. K'Azir turned back to Holly.

"That was bloody dangerous captain. But like I said, it's better than nothing. Come on, let's get out of here."

He turned to go but Holly reached out to touch his shoulder.

"Thanks," she said quietly. "For coming back for me. How did you manage to contact Haven?"

K'Azir laughed. "Remember when we got pinged a few years ago by Artemis Fowl's C-Cube, he used Sentinel to get you to come and meet him?"

Holly nodded, smiling at the memory. Artemis had made a call with a string of fairy related words, causing Foaly's automated Sentinel system to flag the call. The centaur had sent her to investigate.

"Well," said K'Azir. "Apparently that still works."

 **A/N: Well there we go, Holly has finally decided to forgive Arty. All we can do now is hope that he's still around when she inevitably tries to contact him...**

 **And on that optimistic note, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review, it keeps me warm in the winter season.**


	18. Paranoid

**A/N: We are getting nearer and nearer the end of this story. I don't know exactly how many chapters it will be in total, but I would guess that it won't be more than 25. Maybe less.**

 **This chapter actually features someone from canon who, shall we say, isn't very popular. Don't worry if you face palm when you get to that bit though, this character only plays a minuscule role.**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 18;**

 **Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Artemis was disturbed from his meditation by a beep from his phone. Slightly annoyed, he glanced at the screen. _Update detected to Brazil mission file_ read the notification. His frustration already forgotten, Artemis smiled. This would teach his "friends" to keep things from him.

The boy wasted no time in sitting down at his computer and remotely accessing Foaly's system. Clearly the centaur had yet to detect Artemis's most recent exploits and adjust the LEP's security accordingly.

Artemis's smile widened as he read the information before him. It seemed that while the operation had not been an unqualified success, Captain Short _had_ managed to acquire a more specific location for their enemies. Southeastern France, to be precise.

The fact that Foaly had yet to inform him of these developments was conspicuous to Artemis. He ignored the voice of reason that told him that the information was new and Foaly probably just hadn't had the opportunity to call yet, or that he might instead be focusing on the safety of his friend – indeed, according to the file, Holly had been in substantial danger. Instead, he allowed the sickness to convince him that Foaly had intentionally kept the developments from him.

Artemis closed his eyes for a moment, letting ideas bounce around his head. It was vital that he locate Vladimir Petrenko and his fairy benefactor – not only were they almost certainly planning something suitably evil, but they had also tortured Holly. That was not something that Artemis was going to let go unanswered.

The real question was how to go about finding them. He couldn't think of much that he could do from Fowl Manor – he would need to be on site to begin running the tests that he hoped would help locate his targets.

He had already formulated certain ideas as to what steps he might take. It seemed almost certain that his foes had manufactured their own bio-bombs and shuttles; Artemis had already downloaded a variety of information about bio-bomb production from Foaly's servers. He hadn't read through it yet, but he was guessing that you couldn't build a weapon like that without leaving energy traces.

Even so, it would be extraordinarily difficult to find them. Normally, he would have counted on the assistance of his close friends, but with Butler out of action, Holly alienated and Foaly, whose genius would be very useful right now, plotting against him, he was somewhat limited.

Still… he had other friends. Well, on the subject of southeastern France, one friend in particular. Another genius, to be precise. Someone who's intellect and local knowledge would, now that Artemis came to think about it, likely be extraordinarily important.

"One, two, three, four, five," he said aloud to ensure that the number gods were not at present displeased. Then he sent an alert to the Butler siblings instructing them to come to his study as soon as possible.

It didn't take them long to arrive. Butler stormed in looking concerned.

"Artemis? What's the matter?"

"Nothing's the matter, old friend," Artemis reassured him, hoping his bodyguard wouldn't notice the five-word sentence. "I requested your presence in order to inform you that I am going to France."

"Why?" asked Butler immediately.

Artemis waved dismissively. "As I'm sure you have noticed, recent events have rather taken their toll on me. I am planning to visit Minerva in the hopes that her company will be… refreshing."

Butler frowned. He hadn't been expecting that. And even though he was worried that his charge might be a target after Pripyat, he couldn't deny that he seemed like he needed a break. Maybe spending a few days with Minerva would help him. Besides, Butler had always thought that the two would be perfect for each other…

Before he could weigh in, however, Juliet spoke.

"Oh, can I come?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Actually," he said, "I was rather counting on that. Butler is still recovering and therefore I cannot justify having him accompany me, but I'll still need protection."

"No," said Butler without hesitation.

Juliet pouted. "But France is beautiful. And I really want to meet Artemis's girlfriend. They sound adorable!"

"She is _not_ my girlfriend!"

"Whatever you say, Arty," teased Juliet.

The boy sighed. Juliet was certainly capable of being irritating when she wanted to be.

"Whether or not Minerva and Artemis are involved is immaterial," interjected her brother. "Artemis, you cannot go gallivanting off without me. It could be dangerous."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "I expect Minerva has learnt her lesson in that regard, don't you think? Anyway, blue diamond or not, Juliet is a more than adequate bodyguard. Besides, I highly doubt there will even be any danger."

"Artemis…"

"Butler, this is important to me. Need I remind you who is supposed to give orders in this relationship? Besides, I'm legally an adult. I may go wherever I please."

Butler didn't look convinced. "Short of physically obstructing you, is there really nothing I can do to stop you?"

His young charge shook his head.

Butler looked put out. "I suppose if Juliet is with you…" he turned his eyes to his sister. "If anything happens to him…"

Juliet held up her hands. "Hey, you don't need to tell me. You, Holly and his parents will literally kill me if he gets hurt. Trust me, I got this."

* * *

 **Fowl Learjet, English Airspace**

Juliet Butler was a girl easily excited. Unlike most people who were capable of killing a man with their bare hands and not breaking a sweat, she saw the beauty in the small things. She derived joy from simple pleasures, she laughed and joked and smiled and loved life.

It didn't make her a very orthodox bodyguard.

"Do you ever stop speaking?" asked Artemis, not bothering to try and hide the irritation in his voice.

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Sorry Mr. Killjoy," she pouted. "I'm just looking forward to France."

"Can you try and look forward a little more quietly?"

"Hey, I convinced your parents that this was a good idea, didn't I?" countered Juliet. "Don't I get to enjoy myself?"

Artemis ground his teeth in frustration. It was hard enough to concentrate on flying with Juliet around, but keeping count of everything at the same time was proving a nightmare. The last thing he needed whilst he was a few thousand feet off the ground was to accidently say a sentence that was the wrong length and displease the number gods.

He shivered. That could end very badly indeed.

"So what's she like? Minerva, I mean." Juliet's question was casual and in keeping with her behavior throughout the trip so far, but her intention was anything but innocent. Beneath the happy-go-lucky girl she was still extremely well-trained in the art of reading people, and there was no denying that there was something off about Artemis.

She had had a lengthy conversation with her brother about it while Artemis had been arguing with his parents. They both agreed that something was seriously wrong with him – that much was obvious to anyone who knew him – it was just a question of what _it_ was.

And even though Butler was more than a little worried about allowing Artemis to go off without him, he had confided in his sister that he didn't honestly know what else to do. Normally, when Artemis was in trouble, Butler solved the problem with a fist, a knife, a bullet, or a combination of the three depending on the situation. When he didn't even know what the trouble in question was, and it seemed primarily to be in Artemis's head, the bodyguard was stumped.

And despite her jokes about Artemis and Minerva, Juliet knew full well how important Holly was to the boy. The fact that he had somehow managed to alienate her was worrying to say the least.

The Butler siblings had also agreed that probably the best way to "fix" Artemis would be through Holly, but Juliet had been shocked to learn that Artemis had essentially given up on their friendship. Neither Juliet or her brother actually had a means of directly communicating with the elf, so if Artemis decided that he wouldn't help them bring her back to him, they didn't really see a way that they would be able to on their own.

With Holly's help more or less of the table, they had discussed how best to proceed. It's pretty difficult to fix a problem that you can't identify, so the only real option seemed to be to figure out what was wrong with Artemis. And if what Artemis wanted to do was visit Minerva, that watching him like a hawk as he did so was probably the best way obtaining information about the boy's state of mind.

Convincing his parents had actually proved a lot easier than expected – apparently Artemis and Angeline had had some kind of fight, and she seemed to think that Artemis needed to spend more time with humans as opposed to fairies. Juliet didn't agree – she knew how remarkable Holly and Artemis's friendship was, and she considered it far more important than any human relationships he was likely to form – but it was nevertheless an effective way to convince his parents that it was a good idea, so she hadn't mentioned her disagreement.

Butler had also mentioned that while he had suspected that Artemis's Atlantis was relapsing, the boy had assured him – quite convincingly, apparently - that this wasn't the case. Even so, despite his confidence in Juliet's skills as a bodyguard, the giant manservant had insisted on employing the same tactic he had while Artemis had been in Iceland in the grips of Atlantis: spraying a tracking isotope spray (a gift from Foaly) on his shoes. If Artemis somehow managed to give Juliet the slip, they would know exactly where he had gone to.

"Must you ask these questions?" inquired Artemis eventually, drawing her out of her thoughts. "You will meet her soon."

Juliet frowned slightly. There it was again – something just felt different about the way Artemis was acting. Speaking, even. It was just a hair away from the way she remembered him. Right now though, unfortunately, her only real option was to just keep him talking and try to put her finger on what it was that was bothering her about him.

"Aww, but I really want to know about her now," she said. "What does she look like? All Dom ever said was that she was pretty and a genius. She sounded perfect for you."

Artemis ground his teeth. "She is not _perfect for me_ ," he insisted. "To answer your question: yes, she is pretty and yes, she is a genius. I have no doubt that she will manage to annoy you just as spectacularly as she did Captain Holly Short."

 _Captain Holly Short?_ wondered Juliet. _Again, his phrasing seems… weird._

She paused. _Wait a minute. Artemis. Speaking oddly._

A sense of dread slowly wormed its way into every crack of her mind. _What if Dom was wrong? What if Artemis's Atlantis_ has _come back?_ The more she thought about it, the more certain she became. All the tiny details that seemed a little off about Artemis made sense now. Though Juliet hadn't come with Artemis to the Argon clinic and so hadn't had the joy of spending almost six months in his insane company, she remembered what he had been like. He had been exactly like this.

 _I don't know what you told my brother to convince him otherwise,_ she thought, _but I'm not going to give you the chance to say it to me by asking you directly about it. I hope I'm wrong about this, I really do, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't check._

"Dom didn't tell me much about it," she said carefully. "But am I right in saying that you met Minerva when she tried to interfere with the People _four_ years ago? Excluding your time in Limbo of course."

She studied his face intently, searching for any response to the number four. There! It was so subtle she almost missed it, but it had definitely been there. A tiny tightening of the lips exactly as she had said it.

"Yes, that is indeed correct," said Artemis distractedly.

 _Five words. D'Arvit._

Artemis clearly didn't want anyone knowing that his Complex was relapsing – if she confronted him about it then he would probably just lie about it and get defensive. Indeed, he had managed to convince her brother that his mind was healthy. But Juliet was certain that she was right.

Deciding that her best course of action was to inform Butler, Juliet began subtly taking out her phone and composing a text. Artemis seemed far too intent on piloting and counting things to notice what she was doing; in fact, he was probably just grateful that she wasn't asking any more questions. Juliet was hardly an expert on the fairy condition, but hopefully Dom would know what to do.

* * *

 **Police Plaza, Haven City, The Lower Elements**

As soon as Holly was finally free of debriefings, she went to see Foaly.

"Holly!" the centaur greeted her happily. "No action from Internal Affairs then?"

Holly shook her head, grinning. "At least, not yet. Apparently some of the council wasn't particularly impressed with how things went in Brazil, but K'Azir made it pretty clear that he didn't blame me for anything."

"He's still talking to them?"

Holly nodded. "You should have seen it; that dreadful gnome from Internal Affairs tried to insult him by comparing him to Root, but he wore it with pride. I know he can be kind of set in his ways, but K'Azir's a good guy. He'll make a good commander."

"I hope so. Anyway, what brings you here?"

Holly frowned. "I can't pop round to say hello to one of my friends after a stressful mission?"

Foaly shook his head. "You've got that look. Your _I need something and I need it five minutes ago_ look."

"Fine, I came to ask a favor," scowled Holly. "I need you to get me to the surface ASAP. I have to speak to Artemis."

The centaur smiled knowingly. "About time. If you don't mind me asking, what actually happened between you two?"

Holly looked away uncomfortably. "I kind of do mind you asking," she said. "But if you must know; he lied to me. Again."

"That Mud Boy never learns," Foaly muttered, shaking his head in exasperation. "What about this time?"

For a time, Holly said nothing, overcome by the memories of that night. The fear of Ivan, the grief for Trouble and the anger at Artemis. She was ashamed of how she had allowed the hatred to consume her.

"Trouble," she finally whispered. "He… after he died, Artemis told me that he was fine. He thought I wouldn't be able to handle it and I would get myself killed in the escape."

Foaly paused, adopting an odd expression and cocking his head slightly.

"Wouldn't you?"

Holly looked up sharply. "You think he was right to lie?" she asked, her tone hostile.

"No," amended Foaly quickly. "I just… I think he tried his best. I think he was scared. He's always such an ice cube, I think we sometimes forget that deep down, he has all the same feelings as you or I. When he's afraid, he doesn't always make the right decision."

"That's unusually profound coming from you," Holly replied flippantly, keen to deflect the seriousness of the centaur's words. The truth was, she hadn't really thought about it like that. In her mind's eye, Artemis had acted thinking about what was best for him, not what was best for her. He had tried to tell her otherwise, but she hadn't really been in a talking mood at the time.

 _D'Arvit. Now I feel like I need to talk to him even more._

"Alright, alright," said Foaly, giving a little laugh. "No need to be like that."

"Sorry," she smiled.

"No worries," replied the centaur. "The truth is, we're going to need Artemis's help now more than ever to find Petrenko and his "mistress". I'll see what strings I can pull to get you topside."

* * *

 **Tourrettes-sur-Loup, Southern France**

As soon as the Fowl Learjet had touched down in airport at Nice, Artemis had wasted no time in organizing a taxi to deliver him and Juliet to the nearby town of Tourrettes-sur-Loup.

It was true that he had lied about his real reasons for wanting to visit the region – he could hardly let Butler know that he was onto Foaly's conspiracy, could he? – but the beauty in it was that he actually _was_ planning to meet Minerva. He had learnt at a young age that the best lies are a combination of truths and half-truths, with minimal falsehoods mixed in. If he now went off to do something completely different, Juliet would know at once that he had an ulterior agenda. But if he did exactly what she expected, hopefully she wouldn't suspect a thing.

Artemis was confident he would be able to enlist Minerva's help – sure, the two hadn't had a huge amount of contact since his return from Limbo, but they had remained amicable. Sometimes it seemed that Minerva wanted something more than that, but Artemis had rather stopped seeing her that way. Still, if she harbored certain feelings towards him, it certainly wouldn't make her _less_ likely to cooperate.

Artemis slid out his phone and tapped Minerva's name in his contacts. He took a quick glance at Juliet as he waited for it to ring. It was odd, she had been so talkative, and then she had just seemed to deflate. He shook his head to clear the voice of the Complex telling him that the behavior was suspicious. He trusted Juliet. At least, for the most part.

"Oui." The voice was crisp and distinctly feminine. Artemis smiled; it had been a while since he had spoken to Minerva.

"Minerva," he began. "How are you today?"

"Artemis!" she exclaimed, her tone warming immediately. "It has been too long, non?"

"Indeed. Are you at home?"

"Oui, mais… pourquoi?" she asked, slightly taken aback.

"It just so happens that I am in the area. I have a particularly difficult problem and I was hoping that you would be able to assist me with it."

"Bien sûr; Artemis Fowl never calls just to say hello. This problem, does it happen to involve our… mutual friends?"

Artemis smiled. He had known that all he had to do was advertise it as a challenge that only she could help with and she would be powerless to decline.

"It does indeed," he said smugly. "But such things are far better discussed in person, don't you think?"

"Absolument. Perhaps you could elaborate over coffee? I know the perfect place."

"Yes, that sounds marvelous, Minerva," replied Artemis, careful to keep the sentence to five words. This was going so well, the last thing he needed was to ruin it with one-less-than-five words and forsake his good fortune.

He listened carefully as Minerva offered details of the place she in mind, committing the location to memory and passing it on the taxi driver.

"Excellent," he told her. "In that case, I shall see you there. Au revoir."

Artemis and Juliet ended up having to wait a little while for Minerva to arrive. Her chateau wasn't quite as near as they had been to the café.

Artemis was again intrigued by Juliet's response, or rather lack thereof. He would have expected comments about Minerva being his girlfriend or this being a date – jokes, incidentally, that he still had yet to come up with any witty responses to – and a series of excited remarks about the cute little café. Instead, she remained silent, looking slightly concerned.

Just when he had decided that he would inquire about it, however, he was interrupted by Minerva's arrival.

"Artemis!" she called, stepping out of her car and telling the driver that he needn't wait for her until she contacted him.

Artemis was a slightly surprised, but in a good way. It was refreshing to see that Minerva had cast off the array of bodyguards and other security that had surrounded her the last time they had spoken face to face. Perhaps she had matured. And though he noticed that she was developing into an incredibly pretty woman, it no longer seemed like a big deal to him. One way or another, the Artemis that had come back from Limbo wasn't exactly the same person that had left. He had quickly found out that he had moved on from his temporary infatuation with Minerva.

"Bonjour," said Artemis, air-kissing her cheek in an imitation of the traditional French greeting. He wasn't comfortable with the real thing; it was too personal. He only tolerated such closeness from his mother. Well, that wasn't strictly true, but the other person he tolerated it from wasn't exactly keen on him at the moment.

Minerva paused, her eyes flitting around as if looking for someone. "Où est Butler?" she asked after a moment. She and Butler had bonded during Artemis's stay in Limbo and were now rather fond of each other.

"Butler wasn't able to make it, I'm afraid. I am instead accompanied by his sister – a more than capable bodyguard as well. Minerva, meet Juliet."

Minerva looked a little disappointed, but nevertheless greeted Juliet politely before leading Artemis into the café. The two talked amicably, sharing little tidbits about their lives since they had last spoken. Once their orders had arrived, however, the French girl wanted to get down to business."

"So, Artemis," she began. "You must tell me; what is this secret that you need my help with?"

The boy took a moment to sip his drink, carefully planning his response. He had been distracted earlier and used a one-word sentence – not the worst number by any means, but certainly much worse than five. He couldn't afford any more mistakes like that.

Minerva sat silently, not interrupting him as he explained briefly about Holly being kidnapped and her suspicion that those responsible might be planning something that would prove disastrous for the world.

"Holly," Minerva asked, casting a furtive glance around. "Is she here? Invisible?"

Artemis grimaced and shook his head. "Unfortunately, Holly and I are not currently on good terms."

"Oh," replied Minerva awkwardly, not quite managing to seem sorry to hear it. "So you suspect those responsible for kidnapping Holly to be somewhere near here and you need my help to locate them?"

Artemis opened his mouth to point out that he hadn't actually said any of that, but then closed it. He'd forgotten what is was like to talk to another genius. The fact that he needed help finding them was fairly obvious, and presumably she had guessed from the fact that he was here in person that this was the area he was searching.

The boy smiled. "That was rather the idea."

* * *

Ladislav Petrov had been waiting several days for Artemis Fowl to leave the fortress of Fowl Manor. In the end, he had received a call from his allies in France telling him that the LEP had acquired their position and that Fowl would likely be working with them. His mission directive went from assassinate Fowl in Ireland to assassinate Fowl if he showed up in France. The change didn't bother him. A kill was a kill, whatever country you left the body to rot in.

And so the Ukrainian sniper had boarded the first plane to Nice and waited. His patience was rewarded a few hours later when what was very clearly the Fowl Learjet came in to land.

The unassuming man smiled. Genius or not, Amber was reading this Fowl kid like an open book. This would be one of the easiest kills of his life.

Ladislav, however, was nothing if not careful. He never rushed anything. He could have got into position and taken a shot while Fowl was disembarking, but that was had a component of risk to it. It was clear that Fowl was completely unaware of his presence – much better to wait for the perfect opportunity.

He followed Fowl as he got a taxi, eventually stopping at a coffee shop. Ladislav was in half a mind to laugh; Fowl's normal bodyguard, Butler, was not here – presumably he had perished during the events in Pripyat – and his replacement didn't seem quite as thorough.

The café was any bodyguard's nightmare, and Ladislav was easily able to acquire the perfect angle from the building opposite. This was child's play.

Mindful not to rush things, the Ukrainian carefully unpacked his rifle. This was no fifty caliber monstrosity like he had used in Pripyat – he had instead opted for something a little subtler. It just so happened that this was the rifle he had used to incapacitate the fairy back in Ireland. The silenced M14 would be more than powerful enough to kill the boy through the café window, but wouldn't draw so much attention to Ladislav that his exit would become needlessly complicated.

Resting the weapon on its bipod, he leaned into the scope. Artemis seemed to be in deep discussion with a pretty French girl. Another man might briefly have wondered whether the two were a couple, but Ladislav was not paid to ask such questions. As far as he was concerned, the girl was irrelevant.

Artemis's head was easily centered in the crosshairs. Ladislav smiled again. With a simple contraction of his finger, he could kill Artemis Fowl.

* * *

Juliet was distracted as Minerva arrived. She knew that as Artemis's bodyguard, this was tantamount to a cardinal sin, but she couldn't help it. She was worried. She had set her phone to silent to avoid raising suspicion, but she had no doubt that there were several unread messages and missed calls from her brother waiting for her.

She watched disinterestedly as Artemis and Minerva exchanged pleasantries, anxious for the opportunity to call Butler and discuss Artemis's relapsing Atlantis Complex.

Only just remembering to offer a friendly smile as Artemis introduced her, Juliet finally got her chance when the two teenagers disappeared into the café.

"Dom," she said the moment her phone call was answered. "Talk to me. What do I do?"

"Bring him back," replied Butler immediately in a tone that brooked no argument. "Now."

"I thought we agreed it would be good for him to get out…?"

"That was before. We can't trust anything he says now. Remember what happened last time? Whatever he says, don't let him out of your sight. Get him back here as soon as you can, I'll try and find a way to contact Haven."

Juliet paused, uncertain of exactly how to say what she wanted. "I didn't think Atlantis could relapse," she said quietly.

Back in Ireland, Butler seemed equally shaken. "Neither did I. But there was never a certainty. Artemis does always insist on being the first, doesn't he?"

"He does indeed," confirmed Juliet. "So what can we even do for him? Is it even possible to fix him?"

"I don't know," came the distinctly worried reply. "But the best thing we can do for him right now is keep him safe until we hear from the fairies. They know a lot more about this than we do."

"You think he'll need professional help again?" Juliet asked, thinking of the twins and how much they had missed their big brother when he had been away in Haven.

"I don't know," said Butler again. "What I do know, is that a large part of Artemis's Atlantis Complex has to do with guilt. Honestly, Argon's tricks might not be enough this time. Right now, I think there's only one person that can fix Artemis."

Juliet nodded even though her brother couldn't see her. Butler had simply confirmed what she already suspected.

"Holly," she muttered. "OK, I'll bring him home."

Severing the call, Juliet strode into café. "Artemis!" she called. "Time to leave."

* * *

Ladislav Petrov took a steadying breath as he stared at Artemis's head through the scope of his rifle. _Time's up, Fowl,_ he thought, and began to squeeze the trigger.

"Ladislav."

Startled, the Ukrainian man spun around in search of the source of the voice. His eyes rested on Natalya walking silently towards him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously. "I wasn't informed that you were part of this mission."

She might be young and pretty, but Natalya was one of the only people in the world that genuinely scared Ladislav. Someone like Amber might be sadistic and slightly deranged, but she was relatively straightforward to deal with. You did what she said, you made a lot of money. Simple. Natalya was… complicated. Ladislav didn't really know who she was or what she wanted, and he certainly didn't trust her.

Natalya continued towards him, flashing a dazzling smile. "I'm not," she said in a sweet voice, crouching down next to him. "At least, I'm not supposed to be."

It was then that Ladislav realized quite how much danger he was in. He swallowed. Hard.

"Why are you here?"

"Because Artemis Fowl is no use to me dead."

Ladislav was about to open his mouth to protest, but with a single movement the Russian girl had broken his neck before his face even had time to register fear. Seemingly unfazed by having just killed someone, Natalya rolled Ladislav's body unceremoniously to the side and lined up a shot using his rifle.

* * *

Artemis was in the middle of explaining something particularly complex to Minerva when things all of a sudden started to happen very quickly. First, Juliet strode into the café, declaring that they had to leave.

Far more surprisingly, however, the window shattered and Minerva's leg exploded in a mess of blood and torn tissue. The French girl screamed, and Artemis was about to go to her side when Juliet collided with him, sending them both into a sprawling heap.

"Stay down," she hissed, her eyes darting around in a frantic search for the shooter. "We have to get out; now!"

Artemis tried to protest, but Juliet was easily able to manhandle him out of a side entrance and into a sheltered alleyway. Here, they were completely shielded from the angle the shot had come from.

"Minerva!" exclaimed Artemis as soon as he found his voice. "She was hit! We can't just leave her there!"

"Shut up!" shouted Juliet, her phone already in her hand, successfully shocking Artemis into silence. Before she could finish dialing her brother, however, she was interrupted.

"Hey, Jules."

The Butler sibling spun round. A girl she didn't recognize now stood in the entrance to the alley. She was dressed ordinarily, but had an air of arrogance and purpose about her that immediately unsettled Juliet.

"Who the Hell are you? How do you know my name?"

The mysterious girl stepped forward. Both Artemis and Juliet were struck by how beautiful she was.

"My name is Natalya." She smiled innocently. "I was hoping I could borrow Arty."

The name meant nothing to Juliet, but Artemis hadn't forgotten what Galadhon had told him after Pripyat.

"Juliet," he said urgently. "She was one of the people that took Holly. She's dangerous."

Natalya laughed. It was a sinister sound.

"The penny drops," she said, still coming towards them. "Yes, I was one of the people responsible for Captain Short's little ordeal. Though I didn't shoot her or torture her personally, if that makes you feel any better."

It didn't. Juliet moved to the side, deliberately putting herself in between Artemis and the Russian girl. As far as she could tell, Natalya wasn't armed. It wouldn't be difficult to take her; it was just a question of whether there was anyone else with her. It was always possible that she was just wasting time right now so that someone else could circle around behind them.

Deciding that it would be better to end this sooner rather than later, Juliet stepped forward to meet her foe. Whoever these people were, they were serious. There would be no messing around with her jade ring today.

The fight lasted all of about two seconds. The Russian girl moved faster than anyone Artemis had ever seen move in his life. She ducked low, delivering a lightning fast strike to Juliet's chest and following up with a vicious elbow to the side of her head.

Juliet never even had a chance to block. She hadn't been able to react in time. She staggered back, preparing to defend, but it was already over. Natalya continued forward, kicking savagely at her leg before stepping past her and catching her arm, twisting it into a brutal lock.

Artemis heard the sickening crunch of bones snapping and Juliet gasped in pain. Natalya grabbed her and lifted her, slamming her hard against the brick exterior of the café. Juliet collapsed, barely conscious, unable to do much of anything.

Artemis stared in shock. He had just witnessed one of the world's greatest fighters bested in seconds. One sided didn't even begin to do it justice. All the fight went out of him. If Natalya could do that to Juliet, what chance would he have?

"Are you going to be difficult?" the Russian girl asked, her voice betraying no hint of emotion.

Artemis shook his head vigorously, too scared even to speak.

"Good," said Natalya. She smiled and lashed out. Artemis's world went black. He never even felt the Russian girl bind him and prepare him for delivery to her mistress.

 **A/N: So... yeah. Natalya is not someone who you want to mess with. And just FYI for anyone calling B.S. on her skills, there is a legitimate reason as to why she is so capable. On the bright side, now Artemis gets to meet Amber. Advance warning: she is properly messed up. And that's by my standards.**

 **Also, sorry for Minerva existing. She's here for two reasons; the main one is just a plot catalyst for this chapter (she isn't really going to feature any more I don't think). But she's also here because it makes no sense that she was literally never mentioned again after Colfer took great care to set up everything for A/M in the sixth book. I know he cut that in response to general outrage - quite right, too; A/H is the way to go :D - but there should still be at least some kind of closure. Personally, I imagine that, in the three years that Artemis was gone, she grew up. The difference between a 12 year-old and a 15 year-old is a pretty big one. And it's pretty clear Artemis is a somewhat different person when he gets back from Limbo. If anything, I would argue the their experiences on Hybras were really what gave rise to A/H in the first place.**

 **This was a hard chapter to write and I'm not sure I'm 100% happy with how it turned out, but it got to the stage where I don't know what to adjust anymore. I hope you enjoyed regardless, and please do tell me what you thought with a cheeky little review ;)**

 **-Kio**


	19. Disturbed

**A/N:** **Artemis is not a well man at the moment. But now that he's been taken by Amber's people, I wonder how he'll react to meeting the person responsible for all of this?**

 **Warning: Amber is actually scarily deranged. And that's by my standards. Like, I didn't even mean her to be this bad. I don't know what I have created, but Opal got nothing on this centaur xD. Also, remember ages ago when Amber mentioned devising a "fitting punishment" for her enemies? Yeah, she hasn't forgotten about that.**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 19;**

 **Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Butler was entering panic mode. After talking with Juliet, he had gone straight to Artemis's study in search of anything that might allow him to contact Haven, but he hadn't been able make head or tail of any of it.

That was two hours ago. If Juliet was bringing the boy home, they would be here. Butler had tried calling his sister. He had tried calling Artemis. He had even tried calling Minerva. None of them had responded. Something was wrong; he could feel it. Very wrong.

In between the worry, he was furious with himself. He had allowed his charge to gallivant off to another country without him. Now, Artemis was in some kind of danger and Butler wasn't even remotely in a position to assist him.

He tried to collect his thoughts. It wasn't easy – Artemis was more than his charge; he was his friend – but after a few moments, he composed himself. Realising that there was nothing he could do in person to help Artemis, Butler decided that his best option was to return to trying to contact Foaly.

At the very least, the centaur might be able to shed some light on what was going on. Butler may have been able to track Artemis's location thanks to the isotope spray, but he had no way to establish what was happening to him. Foaly had access to all sorts of surveillance systems all across the world – if anyone could tell him what was going on, it would be Foaly.

His real hope, however, was that he could get the centaur to agree to some kind of LEP assistance. Artemis had been as asset to them in the past, perhaps they would be willing to help him in his time of need. Butler knew that if he journeyed to France now, he would certainly be too late. If Artemis was badly wounded or even taken prisoner, it was likely that only fairy aid would ensure his survival.

As soon as he reached Artemis's study, Butler again set to work. He had already found himself unable to locate a communicator – not entirely unexpected – but the bodyguard hoped that he would have some kind of program on one of his computers allowing him some kind of contact with Foaly.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Artemis had changed all of his passwords. Butler shook his head. Apparently, the paranoia that had characterized Artemis's first bout of Atlantis was back with a vengeance.

As he was hunting, Butler noticed a slight shimmer out of the corner of his eye. In a heartbeat his gun was up and aimed at the patch of distortion.

"Unshield or I shoot," he growled. Today was a bad day and he wasn't in the mood for politeness.

Holly Short materialized in front of him.

"Easy, big man," she said. "No need for that."

Butler looked distinctly relieved, putting away his weapon. "Sorry," he muttered. "I'm a little on edge right now, that's all. Anyway, what brings you here?"

Holly frowned. "I came to see Artemis, but he isn't answering any of my calls."

Butler was too stressed to smile, but the prospect of aid from Holly was an attractive one. Perhaps her presence would be able to preserve some of Artemis's sanity.

"Finally. He needs you, Holly. Now more than ever."

"How come?" asked the elf, a note of worry sneaking into her voice.

"He's like a shell. He barely eats, he barely sleeps, he won't talk to anyone – not even the twins – unless he absolutely has to and he almost never leaves his study. And now, Juliet thinks his Atlantis Complex is back."

Holly felt like she had been punched. This is what had become of Artemis once she had forsaken him? A shell of his former self? She remembered how he had been at the worst of his Atlantis. The memories hurt. It was painful to think that she had condemned him to suffer that fate again.

"Oh gods," she whispered. "I have to put this right. Where is he?"

Butler opened his mouth to tell the elf that he was most likely dead or soon would be, but his phone rang before he could speak. He glanced at the screen. It was Juliet. He answered immediately, putting his sister on speaker so that Holly could hear anything important.

"Dom," she gasped. Her voice was strained like she was in pain and she seemed short of breath. "They have Artemis."

Both Holly and Butler froze.

"Who's _they_?" asked Butler after a moment's hesitation.

"The people who took Holly."

Holly cut in sharply. "Petrenko? Did you meet him?"

"Oh, hi Holly." Juliet seemed unsure. "Honestly, I don't know. Everything's a bit hazy, I only just regained consciousness. There was a girl, she called herself Natalya. I tried to stop her, but she was… I don't know Dom, she fought like no-one I've ever seen. I never stood a chance."

"She took Artemis?" Butler said with a kind of quiet anger. It scared Holly, that tone. It scared her a lot.

"I assume so. She said she needed to borrow him, and he isn't here anymore."

Holly was already contacting Police Plaza.

"Foaly?" she said urgently into her helmet mic. "This is Captain Short. Petrenko has taken Artemis. Requesting immediate backup."

* * *

 **Location Unknown**

 _The stone floor was cool against Artemis Fowl's cheek. He gently raised himself up, trying to work out where he was. All around him was concrete, and blinding lights. He blinked a few times in an attempt to clear his vision, but was not rewarded with clear sight._

 _After a few moments, he started to become aware of a voice. It seemed oddly familiar, like he'd heard it before, but never clearly. Like he'd heard it underwater his whole life and only now had he emerged from the depths to experience what it really sounded like._

 _The voice was cold. Cruel, even._

 _"I am not concerned with_ us all _, just myself. And believe me, I shall be perfectly fine. Now, sit, please."_

 _Artemis frowned. Sit? Was the voice talking to him? He turned around to see if there was anyone else and sure enough, where previously there had been no-one, now a young girl stood. Her features were hazy and distorted, but she seemed defiant._ Very pretty, too _, he thought with certainty, even though he couldn't really see her clearly. He wasn't sure how, but he just seemed to_ know _that about her._

 _Now the girl was saying something back, but her words were indistinct._

 _The first voice gave a chuckle, presumably in response to whatever the girl had said._

 _"Nothing so melodramatic," it said. "Just riches."_

 _"A thief!" exclaimed the girl, and this time the words were clear to Artemis. "You're just a thief!"_

 _For a moment, annoyance flashed through Artemis, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. He wasn't sure where it had come from._

 _"Yes. A thief if you like," continued the cruel voice. "Hardly_ just _a thief though. The world's first cross-species thief."_

 _The world's first cross-species thief? Artemis frowned again. The idea seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. The exchange continued, but Artemis ignored the words. Instead, he focused on the disembodied voice itself. The speaker was there, he was certain of it, but just out of reach. If only he could focus…_

 _Sure enough, the outline of another child – this time a boy – seemed to materialize. The boy had no face, in fact he was really only an outline, but something about him worried Artemis. He knew instinctively that this boy was dangerous, and utterly ruthless._

 _Now the girl was asking how long the boy had kept her a prisoner in this strange place._

 _"Three days," came the calm response. "We've had you on drip for over sixty hours… until you told us everything we needed to know."_

 _Artemis furrowed his brow. That was a lie. He wasn't sure how, but he knew instinctively that that was a lie. More than that, though, the lie was having an obvious effect on the girl, destroying her from the inside out. The boy was hurting her. A lot. What was the reason he had given? Riches? Artemis shook his head in disgust. What kind of monster was he facing?_

 _"Stop that," he ordered without thinking. "Stop. You're hurting her. Why are you hurting her?"_

 _Neither the girl nor the boy responded. Perhaps they hadn't heard. Artemis looked closer at the female, willing her to sharpen in his vision, and realized with a jolt that she wasn't a girl at all. She wasn't human. Her ears were pointed, and while her height was akin to that of a child, her proportions were those of an adult._

Holly.

 _Memories flooded over Artemis, and suddenly he was watching the scene from a completely different perspective. Everything came into clear focus at once, forming a very familiar scene. He stood in the Fowl Manor basement and surveyed the broken prisoner before him through the eyes of the boy. He felt no pity. He saw only opportunities._

 _But already the concrete walls were melting, becoming an ever changing liquid. Artemis felt himself moving at high speed, and suddenly he lost his balance, dropping to the ground. The floor solidified, becoming green metal, and everything went black._

 _A few moments later, Artemis regained consciousness. He was on a moving vehicle, a train perhaps…_

I know this _, he realized._ I know what happens next.

 _His eyes opened of their own accord._ No! I don't want to see. I don't want to… _but his gaze was drawn to Holly nonetheless. More specifically to her index finger, or lack thereof._

I did this _, he thought as he started in horror at the bloody stump._ Me.

 _Again the scene dissolved, this time to be replaced by a restaurant strewn with debris and broken glass. An enormous body lay before him._

 _Immediately, Artemis lent down and checked Butler for a pulse. There wasn't one._

 _"No!" he shouted to no-one in particular. "You don't die. I save you. I remember. I_ saved _you."_

 _He looked up to see Holly standing before him, her features accusing._

" _You gave fairy technology to a man like John Spiro?"_

 _Artemis opened his mouth to defend himself, but then thought better of it. He had been in the wrong here. Of course he had. When had he not been?_

" _All you ever do is cause us problems," Holly continued. "You need to be mind-wiped."_

 _Artemis shook his head vigorously. "No! I don't want to." He stared at Holly's familiar fine features. His voice suddenly became very small. "I don't want to forget you."_

 _The elf laughed callously. "Well_ I _want you to forget me. I don't want you in my life; I never did. You_ abducted _me!"_

 _Even as Artemis was opening his mouth to respond, the restaurant was melting away. The boy closed his eyes. He didn't care where his memories were taking him now; he didn't want to see. He knew it wouldn't be a happy experience._

" _Arty?"_

 _The voice was weak; sickly. But there was a pleading note that Artemis couldn't ignore. Opening his eyes, he turned to face the source. He already knew what he would see._

" _Arty," his mother said again, this time with more strength. "I'm ill. I'm dying. Aren't you going to save me?"_

" _Of course, mother. I just need to acquire the cure. It is proving a little harder than I anticipated."_

 _Holly materialized behind him. "Because you murdered the last lemur that contains it?"_

 _Guilt gnawed at Artemis's stomach. "I didn't understand what I was doing…"_

" _You still murdered it," interrupted Holly. "What kind of monster puts a price on life like that?"_

 _Unable to justify his actions, Artemis lashed out. "It's your fault Holly. You healed my mother. Healed her and damned her."_

 _Holly took a step back, raising her palms as though to ward off blows._

" _Me? I . . . What are you saying?"_

 _Artemis was committed to the lie now, and covered his guilt with a sudden burst of anger._

" _You healed my mother after the siege. You must have given her Spelltropy."_

 _Holly removed her helmet, walking awkwardly to Angeline Fowl's bedside. Her legs felt strangely numb and the feeling was spreading._

" _My mother died — poisoned by humans. It was an accident, but that didn't keep her alive." Tears dripped from her eyes. "I wanted to hunt those men down. I hated them." Holly wrung her hands. "I'm sorry, Artemis. I didn't know. How many others have I infected? You must hate me."_

 _Artemis turned away, appalled by his own deception. When he turned back, he too had tears in his eyes._

" _I don't hate you. I hate myself. It… it wasn't you, Holly."_

 _Holly and Artemis remained where they were, but all of a sudden their surroundings were replaced again. Now they were outside Tara, six years in the past._

" _But you told me…"_

 _She stopped in mid-sentence, the truth washing over her face like a disease. She looked at him with hatred in her eyes._

" _Holly, please…"_

 _Already the scene was dissolving, this time morphing into the LEP forward operating base outside Pripyat._

Not this, _thought Artemis desperately._ Please. Anything but this.

 _The boy curled up in a pitiful little ball, not wanting to relive the pain of that night._

 _He felt Holly strike him._

" _Twelve again, are we? Fitting, don't you think?"_

" _Don't lie. This wasn't about me; this was about you. Just like everything else. Artemis Fowl doesn't do things for other people."_

" _I'll hate you for whatever reason I want."_

 _Steadily, Artemis's resistance was eroded and his guilt grew until it was unbearable._

" _You talk about that monster like he's another person. Don't kid yourself – that person is_ you _."_

" _No…" Artemis whimpered. "Please, Holly, I'm sorry…"_

 _The boy kept his eyes firmly closed and drew in his knees, tightening the ball he was curled up into. Time passed. He didn't know how much. When he finally emerged from his cocoon, he found himself standing outside Fowl Manor, surrounded by an LEP technical crew._

 _Holly was speaking to him. "I'm going to mesmerize you and ask you a few questions. It's not the first time you've been under, so you know that the procedure is not painful. I advise you to relax; if you try to resist, it could cause memory loss or even brain damage."_

 _Artemis help up his palm. "Wait a moment. Am I right in thinking that when I wake up again this will all be over?"_

 _Holly smiled. "Yes, Artemis. This is goodbye, for the last time."_

 _Artemis looked deep into his friend's eyes. It was odd not seeing one of his own there._

" _I don't want to say goodbye to you, Holly," he admitted. "I don't want to at all, but certainly not for the last time."_

 _Holly's smile disappeared. In an instant, his friend was gone, replaced with the twisted version of her that the Complex had constructed._

" _You don't get a choice," she said nastily. "I want you out of my life. I'm better off without you, and you're better off alone."_

" _No!" shouted Artemis. "This isn't real. You don't say that. I remember…"_

 _The boy frowned. He remembered? What exactly did he remember? Even as he spoke, his memories were becoming less distinct._

The Atlantis Complex _, he realized._ It's infecting even my memories. I can't trust anything.

 _Unconsciously, his hand drifted to the gold medallion he wore around his neck. It was important to him – Holly had given to him after he had reattached her finger. It was to…_

 _He had been going to think "to remind him of the spark of decency in him" but now that he gave thought to it, it seemed ridiculous. Had Holly really said that? Unlikely. Not after everything he had put her through. Hard to accept though it was, he supposed Holly was right. He was better off alone._

* * *

Artemis was dragged back to reality by pain. At first, he simply lay where he was, desperately trying to compose his thoughts.

 _The sickness is eating away at my mind, poisoning it more and more with every second. My memories are already being corrupted. Soon, I will lose all remaining vestiges of lucidity._

He could feel the truth of it. If he didn't get help soon, his sanity would decay until there was nothing left.

Apprehensively, he opened his eyes, appraising his surroundings. As far as he could tell, he was in some kind of stone corridor. The only light came from a lamp about a meter away; other than that, the way stretched into darkness on either side of him. He was surprised to find that he wasn't bound.

"It lives!" exclaimed a voice nearby. A female voice, but not one that Artemis recognized. He looked around sharply, unable to locate the source. "Afraid not, Artemis," the speaker continued, seeming to notice his actions. "You're all on your own, but I can still see and speak to you. Isn't technology amazing?"

Artemis's sense of unease grew. The person detaining him had elected not to restrain him, and not to be there in person to gloat. _This is a game_ , he realized. _Whoever she is, she wants to play with me._

"Who are you?" he asked cautiously. For once, he didn't care about the sentence length. The fear that was rising in him had overcome the madness. For now.

The voice gave a little laugh. "It hurts being ignorant, doesn't it, Mud Boy? In fact, I'd guess that there is nothing you hate more than not knowing something."

Artemis gave no visual sign of it, but the speaker was more or less correct. He wasn't someone who dealt well with being in the dark.

"My name is Amber," the voice continued. Artemis guessed that this was the centaur that Kiril had told Holly about. "And you're going to die. But you know what's worse? So is Holly Short. I'm going to kill her. Badly. Remember the filthy Mud Girl at the ritual site?"

Though it was hard not to look disgusted, Artemis maintained his mask of indifference. But he remembered. Of course he did. How could he ever forget the sight of that mutilated child, killed out of sheer malice?

"I think you do remember. Visualize her. That's what Holly will look once I'm done with her."

Artemis felt sick to his stomach. It was clear that he was being toyed with, but he didn't doubt for a second that this Amber person would kill Holly in any number of horrific ways. He could hear the joy in her voice at the idea of it.

But maybe he could turn the power dynamic around. Maybe. After all, he was nothing if not skilled at playing mind games. All he needed was information. Along with gold, information was power. And step one to getting someone to tell you something they didn't want to was to antagonize them.

"Tell me, _Amber_ ," he began carefully. "How does it feel to be so utterly devoid of compassion?"

Amber squealed with delight. "Oh, it feels marvelous. And before you try, I doubt there's anything you can call me that I haven't been called a hundred times before. Sadistic, malevolent, cruel, insane; they're just words. And words don't mean a thing when you weigh them against a knife. You'll end up the same as all the psychiatrists my parents made me see."

Artemis was slowly realizing that he didn't actually want to hear this. The madness in Amber's voice was… terrifying. There was no other word for it.

"You know," she continued. "I think that's something we have in common, Mud Boy. According to the records of you I hacked, it seems we were both forced to undergo extensive therapy as children for behavioral problems, and we both hated the doctors. They were always so smug and superior, weren't they? Well, a word of advice: they don't look anywhere near as smug once you start carving out their eyes."

Amber laughed. It was a laugh of childlike joy that couldn't have been more sickeningly inappropriate. Artemis shook his head, unable to maintain his cool any more. Sure, he hadn't exactly liked his psychiatrists, but it had never once crossed his mind to mutilate them.

"You're disturbed," he said. "You're so ill that you don't even know what that means." He paused for a moment, thinking things through. "You're behind all of this, aren't you? You murdered Trouble."

Amber made a noise of indifference, and Artemis could tell that she had just shrugged.

"Any person who doesn't directly benefit me isn't really worth keeping alive. Although, the gold that you donated… it's very nice. I have kind of a thing for gold. It's just so… _shiny!_ "

The insane centaur giggled, but then sobered. "Outwitting you and the LEP was almost as fun as it was easy, but it was only stage one. The good bit has yet to come."

Artemis put on a great show of appearing unimpressed. "Go on then, I can see you're dying to tell me about stage two. What incredible scheme have you concocted? Let me guess, some kind of ridiculous, convoluted plan that somehow results in you taking on the role of Supreme Messiah of everything?" he asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

When Amber spoke again, she seemed genuinely irritated by the display. _Mission accomplished_ , Artemis thought with satisfaction.

"Nothing so far-fetched, Mud Boy," she said. "I merely intend to remake the world in my image. Nothing major."

Internally Artemis was more than a little curious, but again he presented a façade of disinterest.

"How melodramatic. You sound a slightly less impressive Opal Koboi."

Apparently the Koboi comparison touched a nerve.

"Shut up, Mud Scum! You have no idea what you're talking about. I surpass all fairies, even the great Opal Koboi. Where she failed in introducing humanity to the People, I shall succeed."

 _D'Arvit_ , Artemis thought. _This is serious. I need to get word to Foaly and the LEP before this abomination can actually put any of this into practice._

"And how exactly do you plan on achieving that?" he asked derisively, keen to continue antagonizing Amber. "If Opal was so easily beaten by myself, Holly and our motley crew, then I doubt that you will stand a chance."

"Oh, don't you worry about that. You will soon be dead, and Holly won't be far behind. There will be nothing to stop me starting a war between humans and fairies."

Artemis was distinctly uncomfortable with where this was going. "Why would you want a war? Surely you know that the People cannot win. Your kind would be hunted down and exterminated."

"You misunderstand me. I do not want the conclusion of a war, whether that be a human or fairy victory. No, I want the war itself. I am an inventor without rival; some of the weapons that I have already perfected would leave you in shock. Once Foaly meets with a little _accident_ , I will be the genius that stands between Haven and annihilation.

"Meanwhile, I will supply humanity with the weapons to keep pace with us. Artificially, I will keep the war going indefinitely; whenever one side is on the back foot, I will equip them with more firepower. And I will emerge from the destruction as dominant. Humans and fairies alike will depend on me entirely. Without anyone really realising, I will become the most powerful and influential person anywhere on or under this Earth. And when the time is right, I will facilitate peace. I will be a hero. No-one will know of the role I played in causing the war, and my connection to the fairy technology finding its way into human hands will be hidden so well that it will be impossible to implicate me."

Artemis was shocked. "You're disturbed," he repeated, unsure of exactly how to respond. He searched for a way to undermine Amber's plan. "But you need the actual war for that. Just introducing humans and fairies won't achieve that. We aren't as bloodthirsty as people think; the LEP will manage to organize some kind of diplomacy. And that's if you even manage to expose the People. Honestly, I doubt you'll manage anything that Foaly can't put right with a few hacks and mind wipes."

"Poor, foolish Mud Boy. Again you misunderstand me. I do not intend to simply show humanity the existence of fairies. No, I will begin the war myself. The LEP will have no choice in it."

Artemis was starting to panic now This _really_ wasn't good. "How?" he couldn't resist asking.

Amber seemed ecstatic to have an excuse to elaborate.

"I have a rather special team of humans under my command. Armed and equipped by me, they will hunt down and kill fairies on the surface. Tonight is a big night; Tara will be packed with excited tourists just waiting to be gunned down. Meanwhile, I will retaliate on behalf of the People. Modified bio-bombs will strike a variety of targets, including areas of key strategic importance and high civilian density. I would guess that at least a hundred million will die. It will look for all the world as though human special forces discovered and decided to launch a pre-emptive strike against the People, and the LEP responded to the attack. Both sides will deny this, but they will never be believed by the other. A long and bloody war is inevitable. "

Artemis joined the dots in his head. Today was the twenty-first of December, the shortest day of the year and the winter solstice. It wasn't a big deal among humans, but for the People, the solstices were home to incredible festivals. Even more tourists would travel to the surface than on a full moon – a few humans with machine guns and anti-shield filters and Tara would turn into a bloodbath. Amber would leave hundreds of bodies at the feet of humans. Haven would demand war.

For a time, he was so appalled that he couldn't even speak. This seemed to amuse Amber enormously, who began laughing maniacally. Eventually, Artemis found his voice.

"No. Whatever reality is to you has become to twisted and perverted that it isn't even recognizable any more. The entire war would be based on a lie. Foaly would figure it out, he's smarter than you. And when he does, the LEP would drag you kicking and screaming back to the real world."

Amber was incensed. "How dare you! You think the truth will matter? All you need to make a lie into the truth is a river of blood. Make no mistake, I will _write_ history myself. The world will remember the fiction I give it, nothing else. _My_ realitywill become _the_ reality. _My_ truth will become _the_ truth, and the world will be re-forged."

It was absolutely clear that she was serious. That she believed every word she spoke. Artemis had no doubt that even if her plan proceeded perfectly, her eventual aim would not be achieved. Certainly she would be unable to emerge from the chaos as dominant. But he knew that there would be no convincing her of this; Amber would chase her impossible dream – to her it was as real day or night – and she would burn the world to the ground in the process.

Even if her fiction didn't take hold, the cost would still be astronomical. But if it did, and humanity declared war on the People… _billions_ would die.

The scheme was twisted and far-fetched, but the basic principle behind it was simple enough. Still, there were a few things that seemed strange to him.

"Why the gold?" he said abruptly. "Why do you need it?"

"I'll need to bankroll weapons production," Amber replied calmly, apparently unfazed by the sudden change of topic. "Besides, I like gold."

"And me? Why am I still alive? If you want me dead, surely it would have been easier to kill me in France."

Amber hesitated. "That is an excellent question. You were supposed to die in France – the Guardian was tasked with killing you. But since he totally screwed that up and allowed Juliet Butler to kill him, Natalya had to step in. It's lucky, really, that she decided to go and check on things after returning from Brazil. Once she had you, she decided it would be more beneficial to capture you instead of executing you. It's extraordinarily unlikely that Holly and the LEP somehow find me, but if they do, it can't hurt to have some… insurance."

Artemis frowned. That version of events didn't sound anything like what he remembered. He hadn't even known that the Guardian was there.

"Natalya told you about what happened?"

"Of course," confirmed Amber, and from her tone, Artemis guessed that she frowning slightly. "Who else would have done?"

Artemis didn't respond. His head was spinning. _Why would Natalya lie? And why wouldn't_ she _kill me? Did she save my life? But what would the point in that be if she was going to hand me over to Amber anyway? And what about the Guardian? Did she kill him to cover her tracks?_

He had no answer to any of those questions. Perhaps if he had had time to think he could have come up with something, but time didn't seem to be a luxury he had at the moment. He thought back to Amber's comment about him being insurance.

"So I'm a hostage?" He didn't bother hiding his contempt.

"In some ways," responded Amber evasively. "But then you've also been a great inconvenience to me, rescuing Holly in Pripyat like that. I was going to save this place for her, but since you're here, I suppose you'll do as a test subject. If you survive long enough, you might end up being a hostage, but chances are don't make it that far."

"This place?" Artemis asked, his throat suddenly dry.

Amber laughed. "This is my new playroom. I had it constructed specially. When I don't like someone, they will end up here. They die, after a while. Screaming."

Artemis couldn't bring himself to ask how, but the question was written all over his face.

"Go on, explore!" encouraged Amber. "See what you can find. If you stay where you are much longer, something might find _you_ …"

 **A/N: Sounds ominous, right? Next chapter, Artemis will find out exactly what she is talking about.**

 **Anyway, so now you know what our heroes are actually up against. I wanted Amber's endgame to be something on remotely a comparable scale to Opal's in TLG. It might not be the complete eradication of humanity, but it might just be the next best thing. I hope that Holly and Artemis are up to the challenge. They should be, right? But then again, you never really know with me, do you?**

 ***Evil laugh***

 **If you want to shout at me, then there's always the option of reviewing... :P**

 **Oh and as well as everything else, I just want to wish everyone a happy 2017! :D**

 **-Kio**


	20. Stricken

**A/N: First and foremost, this story has (as of last chapter) accrued a hundred reviews! This is a milestone I didn't expect to hit (in fact I'm still slightly surprised we made it past about 3 xD), so I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has supported this. This my first attempt at not only FanFicion, but also a story of any real length. I've really enjoyed it in itself, but feedback from you guys has made it so much more fun. I certainly intend to continue writing Artemis Fowl FanFiction, and (at the moment) plan on writing a sequel to this story. I would love to know if that is something that people would or would not like to see.**

 **This story is also approaching 100k words (another milestone I didn't expect to reach) and is currently longer than any canon books. Don't worry, I'll try not to make it too much longer :)**

 **Anyway, back to the story itself. This chapter is dark, but also a bit strange and abstract. Bear with it, though, you might like the ending :)**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 20;**

 **Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Upon hearing that Artemis had been taken prisoner by their enemies in France, Foaly had immediately informed K'Azir, who in turn had met with the council.

Holly wasn't impressed with what they had decided.

"That's outrageous! They can't leave him, not after everything he's done for the People!"

"I know, Holly," responded Foaly, trying to placate his friend. "But they don't see it that way. Besides, it's done. They've made their decision."

"What do you mean they don't see it that way?" Holly demanded. "For all his faults, Artemis is still a hero. We would have long since been annihilated if not for him."

Foaly hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with relaying what had been said to him.

"I believe K'Azir's exact words were _he's only a human_."

"This is a disgrace! How can we claim to be so much better than the Mud People when we allow someone to whom we owe so much to die because of their _species_!"

"Holly, you don't have to convince me," the centaur reminded her. "I already agree with you. Don't forget that Artemis is my friend, too."

Her voice softened. "I know, I'm sorry, Foaly. I don't mean to have a go at you, it's just… when these same people took me, it was Artemis that saved me. I looked at the LEP records, I know how much he did. Gold, Foaly; he gave up his gold. For me. And I drove him away. He wouldn't even be in this mess if not for that. I refuse to leave him."

"I had a feeling you might say something like that." Holly was sure he could hear Foaly tapping away on a keyboard. "Right, we're secure. This conversation never happened, OK?"

"Of course," replied Holly, breaking into a smile.

"Naturally, as part of the LEP, I can't give you any formal assistance. However, if you just so happened to be friends with a dwarf who operated, shall we say, _outside of the law_ , and I just so happened to let slip to said dwarf the location of an LEP shuttle and the necessary codes to steal and then operate it, could you, hypothetically, meet him in France?"

Holly grinned as she thought about Mulch Diggums, the dwarf in question.

" _Hypothetically,_ I'm sure I would be able to," she answered and severed the call. She had work to do.

"You're with me, aren't you, Big Man?" she asked, turning to Butler.

The giant manservant nodded, though he needn't have. It was a given that he would die before he gave up on Artemis.

"We're a bit on the outside at the moment," Holly told him. "But I've got a dwarf with a shuttle, a gun, wings, a moon belt and a full tank of magic thanks to №1. When do you want to leave?"

Butler smiled and spoke in his gravelly tones.

"Two hours ago."

* * *

 **Location Unknown**

Artemis was worried. It was about thirty seconds since Amber had said anything to him, and her parting comment was the kind of comment that stuck with you.

 _Something might find_ you _…_

Artemis was certain that that wasn't something that he would enjoy. And that meant that his only option was to get moving.

He had two choices: ahead, or behind. Both were more or less identical, and equally unappealing. Artemis looked ahead. The stone corridor stretched out and disappeared into the darkness.

 _Every journey starts with a single step,_ he thought, without much conviction. He began to cautiously walk towards the darkness. It seemed to consume everything.

The air was thick, and a sort of artificial-looking fog appeared to hover around the upper reaches of the passageway, but Artemis didn't spare it much thought. Even though Amber had made it clear she wanted to kill him, an aerosolized poison would have been neither easy or satisfying for her.

After only a minute of walking, however, Artemis found himself at a crossroads of sorts. _Left, right, or straight on? Does it even matter?_

By squinting, he thought that the way in front of him looked like a dead-end. _This is a maze,_ he realized. _Some kind of twisted labyrinth. Somehow I doubt that Amber was kind enough to include an exit._

Even so, she had implied that he wasn't alone in the maze. It seemed that his only choice was to simply try and survive as long as possible and hope that he was rescued.

 _That is no choice at all. There will be no rescue. Who would lead it? It's not like Holly will care. Juliet is probably dead, or else she was also taken prisoner. Butler? Perhaps, but he was an old man now, and he would be working alone. Besides, how would any of them even find me? Amber has taken every device I had that could be tracked._

Despite the dire situation, it wasn't in Artemis's nature to give up. If all he could do was try and survive as long as possible, then that was what he would do. At the very least, he preferred the prospect of dying later to the prospect of dying now.

Taking a deep breath, Artemis took the left path. Now that a wall stood between him and the only light source, the darkness swallowed him seconds. Raising a hand in front to stop himself from walking into a wall, Artemis continued. Even though it was no more than thirty centimeters away from his face, the hand was completely invisible. The blackness was everywhere, and seemed to physically push in on him from all sides.

Time passed. Artemis didn't know how long he had been going for – maybe it was ten minutes, maybe it was an hour, he had no way of telling – but several dead-ends later, he eventually found himself in a series of slightly lighter corridors. He wasn't going to kid himself, he was completely lost, but really he was just glad to have some light. It wasn't clear where it was coming from, the walls seemed to just naturally give out a sort of pale, sickly glow, and it wasn't much – Artemis could only barely make out his hand in front of his face. But it was light nonetheless.

A sound made him spin around. A growling sound. It was distant, but remained distinct. It was an animal sound, there was no doubt about that. A snarl. Apparently Amber had been serious when she had said that something else might find _him_. Whatever was making that sound, it was a predator of some kind. A hungry predator, most likely.

Artemis felt something that he had not felt since he and Holly had been thrown to the trolls in the Temple of Artemis by Opal Koboi: absolute fear. Terror took complete control of his brain, leaving no room for logical thought. He froze, hands shaking, completely unsure of what to do. It wasn't like he could run in this light, and he doubted that hiding would be very effective either. Any animal down here would either have excellent tunnel vision or an excellent sense of smell. It didn't matter which, both would spell death for Artemis.

But it quickly became clear that he would have to do _something_. The growls were getting louder, and that meant that the creature, whatever it was, was getting nearer. Whether because it knew that a meal was nearby or whether it was just by coincidence was immaterial, the point was that it would reach him. Artemis didn't know much time he had, not exactly, but he doubted that it would be much.

He did the only thing he could think of. He ran. But after only a few steps he crashed into a wall that he hadn't seen coming in the minimal light. Ignoring the pain brought on by the impact, Artemis continued on, but it didn't take long for the experience to repeat itself.

Realizing the futility in fleeing, Artemis instead began feeling his way along the wall until he found another passage he could turn into. He followed this passage until he came to a dead-end and crouched down, curling up into a ball.

There was only space for fear in his head. His running steps had been loud in the silence; the creature would surely have heard and would be coming to investigate the sound.

Artemis could still hear the snarls in the distance, steadily increasing in volume. He closed his eyes.

 _Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five,_ he thought desperately. _Five, five, keep me alive._ He didn't have the spare capacity to dwell on the ridiculousness of the thoughts. Panic was permeating every part of being.

The creature drew nearer and nearer. After not long, Artemis could hear the gentle padding of its steps. Still the snarls got louder, until he was sure that the creature was at the entrance to the passage he was hiding in.

 _This is a dead end. If it comes down here, I am dead. There will be nothing I can do._

Artemis held his breath, his eyes still closed, careful not to make a sound. The creature continued moving, but now the sounds were getting quitter. It had passed him by.

Artemis exhaled slowly, relief washing over him. He kept his eyes tight shut, trying to rid himself of the terror that still occupied his mind.

The sound of the animal stepping stopped for a moment. Artemis distinctly heard it sniffing the air. When it started moving again, there was no mistaking the direction. It was coming back to him.

"No…" Artemis tried to whimper, but no sound came out. Again the beast paused at the entrance to his hiding place, but this time it turned and began moving straight towards him.

He stayed utterly still as it came nearer. He heard it approach until the sound was less than a meter away. The thing snarled. Artemis could even smell the mangy fur, the matted blood of previous victims. Still with his eyes closed, Artemis couldn't see exactly what it was, but he guessed it was some kind of dog or wolf.

 _I don't want to die!_ he thought desperately. _Not here, not alone. Not without ever seeing Holly again._

The animal in front of him sniffed the air and growled. Artemis heard it separate its jaws.

 _It's about to strike,_ he realized. _I am about to die._

Artemis opened his eyes to say goodbye to the world.

There was nothing there.

He blinked several times, unable to believe what he was seeing. The snarling sounds were gone. He was alone.

"What the…" he muttered, his voice trembling. Slowly getting to his feet, Artemis tried to make sense of what had just happened.

He couldn't. It had been real, he would have sworn it, and yet it hadn't been. He clenched his fists, seriously shaken.

Doing his best to banish his uncertainty, Artemis decided to continue exploring. Again, he set off through the maze, and again, every sense he had of time and direction were lost.

After a while he stepped from the dark and narrow passageways into a far wider and better lit room. It was almost like a hall, he supposed, but every surface was covered in mirrors. He looked around himself, seeing his own stare back him from every direction. It was absurdly surreal.

Elsewhere in the maze, there came a noise. But this was no animal sound, this was a human sound. A shout. Artemis turned in its direction, but he was apprehensive. Perhaps there was someone else trapped here, but it was equally likely that the shout had come from one of Amber's people searching for him.

The voice shouted again, and Artemis made out his own name. It was closer this time, louder. He thought it sounded female.

"Artemis?" the voice called again. Yes, definitely a female voice. But it was more than that. It was a voice he recognized.

 _Holly._

Without stopping to think, Artemis immediately sprinted off in the direction of the calls. For the first time in recent memory, he was free of fear and compulsions. He only felt one thing at that moment: elation. If Holly was here, he was safe. He was sure of it.

In no time at all, he spotted the elf down a very dark corridor to his right. He did not question why, or even really notice that she was wearing civilian clothes, or that her hair seemed to be in a slightly different style to how it had been when he had last seen her.

"Holly!" he shouted, and began moving towards her. Holly seemed to catch sight of him, as well, and for a moment her face lit up. But then there was a dull thud and the joy left her, her features instead contorting in pain. The elf fell to her knees. She looked as though she was trying to speak, but no sound was coming out.

"No!" yelled Artemis, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Holly couldn't die. Not like this. Stricken and in disbelief, the boy rushed to his friend's side. "Be still, Holly, don't worry. It's not serious."

Even as he spoke, he looked at the knife protruding from Holly's back and knew that he was lying. There were no blue sparks rushing to heal the fatal wound. Holly had moments left to live.

"I'm so sorry," Artemis whispered, his eyes shining with tears. "For everything."

He reached out a shaking hand to touch the elf's cheek.

His fingers passed straight through his friend.

The image of Holly flickered for a moment, then disappeared. Maniacal laughter that Artemis recognized as belonging to Amber filled the corridor.

Once the sickening laughter died out, there was only silence. For a time, Artemis did nothing. He simply sat, consumed by internal devastation, the shadows of Holly's loss still tearing him apart.

 _Not real,_ he told himself. _It wasn't real, she isn't really dead. It was a trick by Amber. A cruel trick, certainly, but a trick nonetheless. It wasn't real._

But it had felt real.

Not knowing what else to do, Artemis stood up and began trudging away from where Holly had fallen. There was no real aim, not any more, he just wanted to get away.

He was prevented from focusing on his thoughts by a chorus of whispers that arose all around him. They began quietly, so quietly that at first Artemis dismissed them as a figment of his imagination.

But they grew in volume until he could no longer ignore them. There was no clear source, but they surrounded him, filling his mind. They continued to get louder, and soon he could make out some of the words.

 _No,_ he corrected himself, _the only words. They are all saying the same thing. Thousands of voices, all echoing two words._

Regnet exitium. The Latin was easy for Artemis to translate.

 _Reign destruction._

 _This is what Amber will do to our world._

Still the whispers grew louder, becoming a thunderous cacophony that bombarded every shard of Artemis's sanity.

"Stop!" he tried to yell, but he did not hear himself amid the sea of noise. The voices still continued to escalate, now beginning to hiss and growl at him. Again, Amber's laughter spiraled through the frenzy, taunting him.

And then it was gone. The silence was so immense that Artemis briefly wondered if he had gone deaf.

"What is happening to me?" he shouted at no-one is particular. His voice reverberated around the harsh stone passageways. _Five words. Good._ If Artemis had had a better grasp of reality at that time, he might have tried to rationalize the strange experiences, but Artemis was anything but lucid.

"Is this even real?" he said, more quietly.

 _Four words._

 _Death._

"No!" he yelled, suddenly terrified of what might happen to him.

A scream rang out. A female scream. But this was not Holly's voice, not this time. Artemis recognized it as belonging to Juliet.

 _This is my fault,_ he realized. _The number gods are punishing me by hurting someone I care about._

If Artemis had stopped to think, it might have occurred to him that it didn't make sense for Juliet to even be here. But he did not pause. He did not think. He ran off in search of the woman who had been like a sister to him since his birth.

After only a few moments, he found her. Crying. Stooped over a body. An enormous body.

Dread washed over Artemis. There was only one person that that could be. He wanted to turn tail and flee, to find a nice corner away from all the pain and break down in tears. But his legs didn't seem to want to obey him. They insisted on walking towards the sobbing girl ahead of him.

"Juliet?" he asked tentatively. It turned out to be a mistake. The girl turned to him and stood up straight, showing Artemis two things.

The first was confirmation that the corpse belonged to Butler, and that he definitely wasn't alive anymore. His entire face was so horrifically mutilated that it was almost unrecognizable, and his body was covered in brutal wounds.

 _Most of those didn't even bleed,_ Artemis observed. _They were done after he died. Someone, some… animal of a person continued to butcher him for the sheer fun of it._

Butler gone… it was too much. His oldest friend could not leave him like this. It simply wasn't right.

The second thing that Artemis saw were Juliet's eyes. More specifically, the hatred in them. The apoplectic rage.

Directed straight at him.

"You did this," she whispered, her voice shaking. Artemis was too stunned to respond. "My brother is dead because of you!"

In a heartbeat, there was a knife in her hand and she was coming towards him. Artemis could see the madness taking control of her, see all reason leave her, pushed out by insurmountable grief and anger.

He knew he couldn't run. He would never escape someone like Juliet.

"Please…" he begged, unable to put together a coherent sentence. Unable to shut out the fear.

Juliet reached him quickly, and she wasted no time in lunging forward, swinging the knife straight at Artemis's face.

The boy didn't even bother flinching. He had accepted death.

But even as she struck, Juliet was fading. After a moment, there was no sign of her or her brother.

Artemis was stricken. "Hologram," he whispered after a few seconds of horrified silence. "Like Holly…"

The blood stains that had surrounded Butler, however, remained. Artemis sank to his knees, long beyond repair, and began crawling towards them. It was only then that he realized that, though his bodyguard's bulk had disappeared, the body itself had not. It seemed that the corpse had been entirely real, not a hologram.

Once he reached it, Artemis studied the face. A sickening realization came to him.

 _I'm looking at myself. This… this_ cannot _be real._ The boy shut his eyes for a full minute, willing sanity to return. Amber was playing tricks on him, he knew that, but so was his mind. Apparently, the Atlantis Complex was once again manifesting itself with hallucinations.

When he opened his eyes again, the mutilated corpse no longer resembled himself. Instead, he saw a face that he did not recognize.

 _Probably just another innocent,_ he thought bleakly, realizing now that there was no limit to Amber's malice.

Time passed. Artemis had lost all sense of hope. He had forgotten that a world existed outside of the sadistic labyrinth, the hell that caged him. A world in which he been happy. A world in which there had been people whom he loved, and people who loved him. All that remained was despair. And fear.

He neither knew nor cared how long he had sat, broken, in the pool of blood. After a time, he became aware that what light there had been had died. Now, once again, there was only darkness.

For reasons he couldn't quite explain, Artemis smiled. It was oddly comforting, the blanket of shadow. Like a burden had been lifted. He no longer had to see his prison. He no longer had to care.

It took him a while to register that he was being watched. A pair of eyes were just visible in the impenetrable gloom. Not human eyes, not really, not animal eyes either. They looked more like they belonged to a demon that anything real, two red slits in blackness. They stared at him, unblinking.

Artemis squeezed his eyes shut and counted all the way up to a hundred in fives. When he opened them again, the sinister eyes were gone.

"Not real," he muttered, but it no longer comforted him. The line between reality and illusion was becoming more blurred all the time.

Then there came a sound that chilled his blood. The howl of a troll. It sounded close.

 _There's a troll in here! Amber must have just released it. She seemed to admire Opal Koboi, maybe she decided to borrow a little idea from her…_

Artemis knew then that he was dead. He didn't even have a desire to try and avoid it any more. Death was inevitable, he understood that now. He would never escape the troll in these tunnels, not with its sense of smell. Artemis couldn't even see something a millimeter away from his face, but the troll would easily be able to track and hunt him.

 _If_ the troll was real. Some part of Artemis's crippled mind tried to tell him that it might not be, that this was most likely the same as the other trials he had endured. But then the troll howled again, and the voice of reason was silenced. It was too realistic to deny. The fear would not die down, and overcame all logic. He was going to die; he was certain of it.

All over. No hope. He would never have the chance to apologize to Holly for lying to her. Never give his parents the chance to be truly proud of him.

The troll was drawing ever closer. Its howls were getting louder, and the clumsy thud of its feet was now audible. Artemis guessed that he had only seconds left to live.

"Artemis?"

Holly's voice. _No! No more tricks, Amber. I don't want to see that, not again. If I am to die, so be it. But I will not watch her the life leave her, not a third time. Please…_

"Artemis?" Holly called again. She sounded worried.

The boy turned in the direction of the troll. It was now mere meters away.

"Make it quick," he said aloud.

"Artemis?" the hologram of Holly was closer now, but she sounded puzzled. As though she had heard him speak, but wasn't quite she if it was really him.

Artemis took a breath and waited for the end.

Out of nowhere, a blinding wall of light filled the passageways, banishing the perpetual darkness. Artemis staged back, desperately covering his eyes. When he finally regained sight, there was no troll before him.

There was an elf though.

Holly Short pulled off her LEP helmet and looked at her human friend. He may have been cut, bruised, covered in blood and lying in squalor next to a maimed corpse. He may have looked… broken. But he was inarguably _Artemis_.

She smiled. Artemis had to admit, she did look real. And, unlike before, she was dressed in her full LEP uniform.

But Artemis knew better.

"No, I don't want to see this." He addressed the ceiling, wondering if Amber could hear him. "Do you hear me? I don't want to see this!"

Holly frowned, taking a step towards him. "I can hear you, Artemis, but I'm not sure what you mean. What don't you want to see?"

Artemis had tears in his eyes as he turned to look at Holly.

"I don't want to see you die."

"I'm not planning on dying any time soon, Artemis."

The boy gave a hollow laugh in response. "Obviously I don't mean the real Holly," he said, stepping away from her.

The elf frowned again. "What on Earth are you talking about, Mud Boy? I _am_ the real Holly. Who else would I be?"

"A hologram. A trick from Amber to torment me. It worked once, but I won't fall for it again." Artemis shook his head. "This is ridiculous; I'm arguing with a hologram." He turned his back on her, leaving her slightly shocked, and began muttering to himself. "I. Don't. Want. To see. Her. Die."

Understandably annoyed at having her existence questioned, Holly took a series of quick steps towards him and grabbed his wrist.

"See?" she demanded. "Not a hologram."

Artemis looked confused for a moment, but then seemed to figure it out.

"A hallucination, then. That explains why you look different to the Holly I saw die before."

Holly felt her gut wrench. "A hallucination? Artemis… have you been having delusions again?"

The troubled boy nodded.

"But you're not talking in fives," Holly said. "If the complex has progressed this far, why no number stuff?"

Artemis shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore," he explained. "Four, five, seven, I will die regardless. I have no way to escape this place. I am truly alone."

Holly regarded the broken boy in front of her, tears welling up, unbidden, in her eyes. A tirade of unacknowledged emotions bubbled up inside her.

"You're not alone," she whispered. "You have me."

And for reasons she couldn't quite explain, she leaned forward and kissed him.

"Real?" she asked quietly once they broke apart. "Or am I a hallucination?"

Artemis stared at her, and his eyes seemed to soften.

"Holly?" he breathed.

The elf smiled through her tears. "Finally."

"I'm sorry," Artemis blurted. "For lying to you. I never meant-"

"Don't you dare, Mud Boy," Holly cut in firmly. "You apologized for that already, remember? You said sorry back in Pripyat. I should have accepted it then."

Artemis frowned. "But I hurt you."

"Yeah, you did. But sometimes, a friend hurts you in order to try and help you. It's how you know they care."

"That doesn't make any sense."

Holly laughed. "Not to you, maybe…"

For a while Artemis didn't say anything. When he finally opened his mouth, his spoke is a small voice and refused to meet Holly's gaze.

"I thought I would never see you again. I really did mean to let you go."

"Silly Mud Boy," replied Holly, rolling her eyes. "When will you learn? I always come back for you, regardless of what you _mean_ to happen." She pointed to her blue eye and gave a crooked smile. "Besides, we're a part of each other."

Again Artemis hesitated, trying to sort through his memories. Unconsciously, he reached a hand to the fairy coin around his neck. He remembered now. Holly _had_ given it to him as a reminder of his decency.

"I thought…" he searched for the right words, his fist closing around the coin. "I thought you hated me."

This time it was Holly's turn to look away.

"I tried that once," she said softly. "A long time ago. But I couldn't quite manage it, even back then." She paused. "Thank you."

"For what?" Artemis was taken aback.

"For Pripyat. I know I didn't like how you did it, but you still saved me. When Vladimir was trying to intimidate me, he told me that he knew about you. He said that he was going to kill you. And he asked me whether my value to you had increased ten-fold. I didn't understand what he meant at the time, but now I do. You traded me for a ton of gold. You traded ten to try and get me back. You gave up your wealth for me."

Artemis raised an eyebrow, and a sliver of his old character seemed to return to him.

"I suppose I probably shouldn't mention that I was fully intending to retrieve the gold afterwards?"

"Probably," Holly agreed, rolling her eyes. "And don't think you can avoid talking about it like that. You still surrendered gold for another person. Isn't that against some kind of Fowl code or something?"

Artemis knew that Holly was goading him – they seemed to spend about half their time in each other's company poking harmless fun at one another – and normally he would have taken the bait in a heartbeat, but today he wasn't in the mood.

"I don't regret it, you know. You matter far more to me than any amount of gold."

Holly wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Well that was unexpected," she said, trying to lighten the mood. She had never found herself very good at serious conversations.

Artemis looked upset though. "Is it really so hard to believe that I would think that?"

"I didn't mean it like that." Holly sighed. "I just meant… abrupt. Hang on a moment." She placed her helmet back on her head and began speaking to someone on the other end. "Mulch? I've got him. Marking the target now."

"Target?" Artemis inquired. "What target?"

Ignoring him, Holly took what resembled a laser pointer from her LEP belt and aimed the beam at a wall about ten meters away from them.

"I read you loud and clear, Holly," came Mulch's reply. "Target has been acquired."

For a few moments, nothing happened. Holly could have sworn she could hear Mulch fiddling with various controls and muttering about LEP equipment being unnecessarily complicated, but just when she was about to ask him what was going on, an enormous explosion tore a huge chunk out of the roof above where Holly had marked. Debris rained down, but as the dust settled, the outline of an LEP shuttle was clearly visible hovering above the labyrinth.

Holly turned to Artemis, who was shielding his eyes from the sudden wave of dust, and grabbed his arm.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get out of here."

 **A/N: Temptation to make cheesy, overused joke about Artemis's elf-kissing days successfully avoided. Speaking of which, yeah. That happened. I would REALLY appreciate some feedback about Holly and Artemis's reunion. I tried to make it feel as natural and in character as possible (obviously), but I've no idea how much I actually succeeded haha. So some reviews would be pretty great - tell me what you thought about the reunion, and whether you would like to see a sequel or not. Please. I'm a desperate man. Oh, and exactly what the hell was happening to Arty in the labyrinth will be explained next chapter.**

 **-Kio**


	21. Incoming

**A/N: So yes, I am finally updating this. Really sorry it took so long, I've been completely swamped with work (A levels feel bad) and a family member just died, so I've kind of just been trying to stay afloat. I will try and return to weekly updates, but no promises in the coming few weeks. Sorry.**

 **In other news, I will definitely be writing a sequel to this story once I've finished it. Thanks to the people who offered constructive criticism on the last chapter; because of the FanFiction format of periodic updates, I think I tried to fit too much into one chapter. My plan was to explain some of the extra details in this chapter and continue the story, but I've now decided to dedicate this chapter to fleshing out the previous chapter with the events experienced by the other characters. Not a perfect solution, but I hope this clears a few things up.**

 **It does mean, however, that this chapter is pretty directly linked to the previous one, so since it had been more than a month, I would recommend you consider rereading it so this makes more sense. Just a suggestion.**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 21;**

Tourrettes-sur-Loup, Southern France, two hours ago

Juliet Butler was in pain as she waited for Holly. A lot of pain. Her arm had been cleanly snapped by Natalya and blood from a head wound matted her clothes. But far scarier was her left leg - she couldn't move it. Her back hurt all over after the Russian girl had slammed her into the wall, but apparently there was real damage to her spine as well.

She hoped that Holly had magic to spare. And she really hoped that partial paralysis wasn't beyond the elf's healing capabilities. Because if Holly couldn't fix this, Juliet would never walk again.

It was surreal how much effort she had had to expend just to call Butler – and Holly, as it turned out – and turn on her phone's in built GPS so they could easily find her. That was a while ago, but she still felt weak. With no idea when help would arrive, Juliet had little choice but to stay slumped in the abandoned alleyway that she had been left in, letting the needles of pain slowly drive themselves deeper into her mind.

The girl closed her eyes, willing the pain to subside. It didn't. _How did I even get myself into this mess?_ she wondered bitterly. Of course, it was a rhetorical question. She knew the answer. Artemis.

It seemed to Juliet that the teenage genius had something of a habit of being the cause of her pain, though indirectly. But even in such dire circumstances, she knew that she wouldn't trade Artemis out of her life for the world. At the very least, he kept things… interesting. And she loved the boy like a younger brother, albeit a younger brother who had once ordered her to help him abduct and imprison a being that wasn't even supposed to exist.

She shook her head. Perhaps the Fowl Manor siege hadn't been their proudest moment, but she had plenty of happy memories of Artemis as well. Memories that could well soon become all that she had left of her friend.

Juliet was an optimist by nature, but even she couldn't deny that the chances of seeing Artemis again were slight. Whoever they were dealing with had demonstrated a complete lack of any mercy on numerous occasions, and there was no reason why this time would be any different. If Artemis was even still alive, then it was vital that they get to him as soon as was humanly – or, preferably, _fairyly_ – possible.

 _Perhaps there is a silver lining to this, though_ , Juliet wondered. _If we do somehow manage to recover Artemis alive, at least Holly will be there for him. And if we are so save him from his mind, Holly will be vital._

It struck Juliet as odd that Holly seemed to have forgiven Artemis so suddenly – indeed, it seemed that she had been intent on completely wiping him from her life. Not to mention that Holly seemed to be someone that did not forgive easily, and was rather renowned for her tendency to hold grudges. Artemis had learnt that for himself, a great many years ago.

All Juliet could do was speculate that something had happened to Holly that had reminded her how much the human really meant to her. Either that, or maybe there was something more to the pair's relationship than met the eye. There was no way she could know, of course, but she made an internal note to interrogate the elf about it later. Preferably when Artemis's life wasn't in grave danger.

Artemis. In danger. Juliet mentally berated herself for a moment. For this trip, she was his bodyguard. Her brother had entrusted her with his charge and she had allowed him to be taken by their enemies.

How? That wasn't even a question she could answer. That girl, Natalya, was… something else. Something impossible. Nothing moved that fast, and not even a man-mountain like Butler was that strong, let alone a slim teenage girl. And yet, she had been quite capable of slamming Juliet into a brick wall so hard that it left a dent not only in her spine but also in the wall itself. With one arm.

And so had come the pain, like a creature. A predator that took hold of her mind with iron jaws and would not let go. Indomitable. She had tried every coping strategy she had learned from Madame Ko. She had tried distracting herself with thoughts. But the pain was inescapable.

"Holly," she gasped out between shaking breaths, not talking to anyone in particular. "You better hurry up."

A figure clad in the distinctive LEPrecon suit materialized in front her, mechanical wings deactivating. The visor slid up with a quiet hiss of escaping air, revealing a lock of auburn hair and sharp, pretty features.

"When did I ever _not_ hurry?" asked Holly with a smile, no doubt thinking of her reputation for breaking rules in the name of speed.

Juliet wasn't amused though. "Bastard! How long. Have you. Been there?!"

"Only a few seconds," the elf replied, slightly taken aback. She nevertheless stepped forward to examine her friend's state. "D'Arvit," she muttered. It was obvious that Juliet's arm was broken – badly so, as well – but the real question was about the rest of her. She opened her mouth to ask, but Juliet was way ahead of her.

"Back hurts," she managed. "Left leg. Can't move."

"D'Arvit," Holly repeated. "OK, hold still. I'll see what I can do."

The elf had almost a full tank of magic thanks to №1 – minus the small investment of shielding with her shimmer suit as she flew from Ireland to France with Butler shrouded in cam foil and clipped onto a moon belt. But even though she had magic, she wasn't as optimistic as she normally would be. She had no experience of healing spinal trauma in humans; in fact, she wasn't even sure it was possible. Perhaps Artemis or Foaly would be able to shed some light on the subject, but Foaly was in no position to assist her as she was pretty much rogue at the moment, and Artemis was… in trouble.

 _Artemis._

Oddly enough, even as Holly laid her hands on Juliet and whispered heal, she had no thoughts of the human girl. There was space in her head only for Artemis. Memories of another time, dreams of a futile future. A hope that refused to die, no matter how hard she tried to kill it.

Blue sparks flew, immediately realigning Juliet's forearm with the direction it was supposed to go in and reknitting the splintered bone before spreading out to target the other injuries.

 _Artemis._

She had been so angry with him. Angrier than she had ever even conceived of. Irrationally so. Of course, what Artemis had done to her was wrong. Very wrong. But something about it, something about _him_ specifically, had made the betrayal infinitely worse for Holly. She was ashamed to admit it now, but she had wanted to _hurt_ him. Not to achieve any set goal, just for the sake of it. Not out of sudden, uncontrollable rage. No, a part of her had wanted to hurt him very deliberately. To show him the pain that he had caused her.

Even the memory of those thoughts sickened her. It was hard to believe that they had belonged to her. They were everything that she strived not to be. They were _not_ Holly Short.

And yet they had been.

As they continued their work, the magical sparks congregated into a great mass around Juliet's back, and the human slumped forward to better facilitate the healing. The sound of her spine being put back together was easily audible, a series of strangely therapeutic clicks and scrapes.

 _Artemis._

He had kidnapped and abused her. In many ways, it was a different person that done that, and either way, she had long since forgiven him for it. But the anger the been born in that concrete cell had still been buried somewhere, deep in her psyche.

Petrenko had kidnapped and tortured her. The fear and the rage that he had given rise to had awoken what Holly had kept hidden away for far longer than was healthy.

In hindsight, it was easy to see that she hadn't been stable that night. All she had needed to unleash that fury was a trigger, and Artemis had been the perfect person to offer such a trigger. The cause of so much of her pain, and so much of her happiness as well. A target of so much of her anger, but also of so many other feelings that she found herself unable to even acknowledge, let alone understand.

She had simply reached the end of patience with the world, and Artemis had been standing before her at the time.

And now, blinded by her own anguish, she had allowed him to slip away, to fall into darkness. Allowed the shadow of Atlantis to consume him. Allowed Petrenko to take him, as well. To take another piece of her world to destroy.

When she had found herself more alone than ever, she had lashed out, and driven away perhaps the only person capable of consoling her.

Juliet opened her eyes and took a sudden gasp of air, shaking Holly from her thoughts.

"Your leg," the elf asked, her face full of concern. "Can you move it?"

The human girl gave her leg a tentative wiggle, pre-emptively wincing. Her expression of surprise when she found that the action brought no pain was strangely comical.

"Apparently I can," she smiled, and looked her elfin friend straight in the eye. "Thank you. Seriously, I'm not sure how long I was going to be able to hold on."

Holly smiled back for a moment, touched by the sincerity in Juliet's tone. But now was no time for such things.

"Come on," she said, reaching out a hand to pull her friend to her feet. "We need to go. Your principle calls. Butler and Mulch are waiting for us."

* * *

Holly and Juliet only took a few minutes to reach their comrades. The shuttle that Mulch had stolen was shrouded by darkness nearby, unshielding only for a moment to permit them to clamber aboard. Holly shuddered at the thought of how Root would react to a course of action that had such a great risk of exposure. But Mulch didn't care much for LEP regulations, and Holly didn't have much space left over in her head with all the worrying she was doing about her human friend.

Ever the consummate professional, Butler's reunion with his sister was brief and understated. But it was no less warm than one might expect under the circumstances. The two embraced quickly but tightly for a moment before turning their full attention to the matter at hand.

"Plan?" asked Juliet, concern for Artemis written all over her face.

Her brother nodded, but looked to Holly, motioning for her to elaborate.

"We're tracking Artemis," she told Juliet, interacting with the shuttle's onboard computer as she spoke and bringing up a 3D map of the fairy tunnel networks. "This," she said, indicating a chute. "Is E37. It emerges in Paris. If you follow it towards Haven, it eventually splits into various other chutes, some smaller, some just as large."

Juliet nodded, her eyes drawn to a flashing dot on the digital map, buried in the Earth's crust a little way away from one of E37's branching chutes. Holly sensed her gaze.

"That," she said, "Is Artemis."

It seemed immediately obvious to Juliet that "Artemis" was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, and that there were no chutes leading even remotely to his vicinity.

"How do we get to him?" she asked, frowning.

"Excellent question. There must _be_ a way. The crust is riddled with illegal and uncharted tunnels; we assume there is some kind of hidden network that will lead us to him."

"You _assume_?" Juliet didn't look impressed.

Holly adopted a slightly guilty expression. "It's the best we can do." Her thoughts naturally turned to Artemis, and what might become of him if her assumptions were inadequate. "I'm sorry…"

Butler stepped forward, placing an enormous hand on the elf's shoulder. "I'll take any chance we have right now. It'll work; trust me."

"Any idea what we might be facing if we can get to him?" said Juliet, apparently not yet satisfied that she had undermined Holly's limited plan enough.

Again, Holly didn't look very happy. "Not really. To be honest, this entire thing is pretty much just hope for the best. I'm more or less rogue, flying with a criminal and two humans in a stolen LEP shuttle. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Nice to see your sarcasm is still intact," commented Mulch from the cockpit. "Even if your optimism has gone missing."

Holly sighed and took a few steps towards the dwarf. "Right," she announced. "I'm flying. Out of my seat."

Mulch's various pre-prepared witty retorts died in his throat once he saw Holly's expression, and, in the interest of self-preservation, he made the executive decision to vacate said seat as quickly as possible.

While Holly vented her frustration in the form of obscenely dangerous flying, the Butler siblings took to investigating the shuttle's onboard armory. Butler had, of course, brought his Sig Sauer handgun, but Juliet was unarmed.

"There isn't much here," Butler called to Holly a moment later, sounding disappointed.

"What do you expect?" the elf shouted back. "This shuttle wasn't intended to be used as an assault vehicle. We're lucky it even has a weapons cache."

"Assault?" interrupted Mulch, sounding a little anxious. "I was distinctly told that this was a _rescue_. Dwarves aren't very good at _assaults._ "

Butler considered explaining that the former tended to involve the latter, but thought better of it. Judging by their silence, the others seemed to have reached a similar conclusion.

Juliet shrugged and returned to the matter at hand. "I guess beggars can't be choosers," she said nonchalantly, selecting an old neutrino 2000 and registering it to her DNA. "Wait, what's this?" she asked, lifting out what resembled a long sheath.

Holly glanced back from the cockpit. "Energy sword," she answered. "They were originally designed to replace the buzz-baton, but they never really caught on. The blade is augmented with energy from a nuclear cell; you either set them to stun on contact, like a buzz-baton, or to cut through most materials. But it uses so much energy that even those nuclear cells only lasted a few weeks, and officers didn't much like them either. I don't think there are many still around."

Even though Holly seemed dismissive of the weapon, Juliet looked ecstatic. She had taken up sword fighting while Artemis had been recovering from Atlantis in Haven and had found herself to be rather talented. It suited her, really; a spectacularly stylish way of fighting that lacked many real world applications. It was classic Juliet. Like her jade ring.

Naturally, Butler wasn't over enthusiastic about his sister's new hobby.

"It doesn't look very practical," he muttered disapprovingly.

Juliet ignored him. She was busy unsheathing the blade; matt black and slightly curved, it vaguely resembled a highly futuristic katana. Looking for all the world like a gleeful child unwrapping a Christmas present, Juliet turned it on, switched it to "Cut" mode and flicked the power up to maximum. A line of energy crackled along the edge of the blade, and the entire thing gave out an ominous hum.

"This is so _cool_!" she exclaimed, staring in awe at the glowing sword.

Butler seemed slightly apprehensive. He could feel the heat it was giving off from more than a meter away. It was no wonder the energy sword wasn't efficient.

"Turn it off before you hurt someone or accidentally cut a hole in side of the shuttle and get us all killed. And I hope I don't need to remind you that this is a serious operation. Artemis's life is in our hands. No flashy stuff with that or your jade ring; you will take the most efficient course of action at all times, not try and score arbitrary style points. Understand?"

Juliet looked a little put out, but she nodded all the same. She understood the importance of the mission they were undertaking better than most. She blamed herself for allowing Artemis to be taken, and if he ended up being killed, she wasn't sure she would ever forgive herself.

* * *

 **Stolen LEP Shuttle, E37**

"We're almost there," called Holly from the cockpit. Butler was momentarily impressed – he had expected it to take longer. But then again, it _was_ Holly flying. He supposed he really shouldn't be surprised anymore.

"What am I looking at?" he asked, joining the elf up front and staring at a sheer face of rock through the virtual wind shield.

"What does it look like?" she replied, apparently unable to keep her sarcasm in check even when Artemis's life was in danger.

"Rock," admitted Butler, feeling a little bit silly.

"Congratulations," Holly muttered, fiddling with the shuttle's controls. Various text alerts scrolled across the console. Butler's Gnomish was patchy at best, but he distinctly made out the words "target acquired" and "danger close".

"Holly-" he began, but the elf was already squeezing the joy stick's trigger. Twin balls of purple plasma erupted from the shuttle's wing mounted cannons and struck the underground cliff face, the thunderous explosion tearing a huge gash in the rock.

A moment of silence followed as the last echoes of destruction faded. Holly turned to Butler.

"You were saying?" she asked in her sweetest voice, her eyes wide and innocent. All of a sudden, she more resembled a blameless child than a rogue police officer with an unhealthy obsession with explosions.

Butler sighed. "I don't suppose _danger close_ means something else to you people than it does to humans?"

Holly looked away. "Not something different _per se_ …" she muttered.

"So, according to the computer, you could very well have just destroyed the shuttle and all of us with it?"

"Computers aren't always right," the elf shrugged. "I was pretty confident in my own estimations, and it was the only way I could get a clear shot."

Mulch chose that moment to barge into the cock pit. "Don't tell Foaly that his beloved system might be wrong. And perhaps you would care to explain exactly what you needed a clear shot at? Sudden explosions aren't good for my digestion."

Holly very much doubted that this was the case, but decided that now wasn't the time to question her pungent friend.

"As we established, there must be some kind of hidden network of chutes adjacent to us that lead to Artemis. It makes sense that the dividing rock shelf would be thin enough to break through in places; taking into account the geography of these chutes, I figured this was the most likely place."

Only now that he peered more carefully into the fresh crater did Butler realize that Holly hadn't punched a hole _into_ the wall, she had punched a hole _through_ it. Sheets of rock had crumpled inward and fallen away, leaving a narrow and jagged entrance to a new chute.

Juliet, who had silently joined the others a few moments ago, now clapped Holly on the back.

"You," she told her, "Are a bloody genius."

"Cheers," the elf responded, settling back into the pilot's chair and opening up the throttle. "All passengers be warned, these tunnels are illegal, uncharted, and likely built to a highly unsafe standard."

"Does that mean you're going to slow down?" Mulch asked, looking uncomfortably at the rock streaking past the shuttle and the blank navigation tab on the onboard computer.

"Of course," said Holly sweetly, accelerating harder.

* * *

 **Stolen LEP Shuttle, Location Unknown**

With Holly's casual disregard for everyone's safety, it didn't take at all long to reach Artemis's supposed location. The sight that greeted the shuttle's occupants when they did was utterly surreal. The tight passage that they had been hurtling through opened up into an underground cavern on a scale that left even Mulch speechless. Easily fifty miles in width, the gigantic cavity stretched out into the darkness so far that the other end could not even be seen.

"What in the world…" Juliet was the first to find her voice.

Butler, on the other hand, wasn't in the mood for sightseeing. His eyes locked immediately onto a structure nestled into the middle of the cavern. Even though it was presumably huge in its own right, the building was completely dwarfed by the size of its surrounding.

"There," he announced, indicating the structure. "If Artemis is anywhere here, he's there."

"I don't see any defenses," Holly observed, bringing the shuttle towards the mysterious structure. Now that it was closer, the occupants could now truly appreciate the scale of their destination. The building was a perfect square with just one story, stretching out over a vast area. It was impressive only in size, built entirely out of a bland concrete type material and, as Holly had pointed out, sporting no visible defenses. There also seemed to be no obvious entrance.

Apparently this didn't bother Holly.

"If it worked before…" she muttered, flicking a few switches before again squeezing the joy stick's trigger.

None of the other occupants had time to object. A moment later there was a large hole in the side of the building.

"Subtlety isn't really your strong suit, is it?" Butler commented, before adding more quietly, "At least it wasn't danger close this time."

"Artemis is somewhere in there?" asked Juliet, her worry evident. "Can you be any more specific?"

Holly shook her head. "The isotope tracker isn't that precise." She tried scanning the building for life forms, but it didn't seem that the shuttle's relatively unsophisticated sensors could penetrate whatever the exterior was made out of.

"Plan?" said Butler.

Holly closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself to concentrate. Artemis was their resident schemer, but he wasn't exactly around to chime in at the moment.

"OK. Mulch, you stay with the shuttle. The three of us will split up and look for Artemis manually." She grabbed a pair of LEP target designators and tossed one to each Butler sibling. "If you run into any kind of trouble, use those to mark a target for Mulch and he can try and clear your way from outside."

The dwarf smiled. He was quite partial to rearranging other people's architecture with the use of large explosions. And staying in the shuttle sounded much safer than joining the others.

The Butlers looked less pleased with Holly's suggestion.

"Look for him manually?" Juliet exclaimed. "That could take days!"

Holly ground her teeth as she touched the shuttle down next to the hole she had made and opened the doors.

"If you've got a better idea, I'm listening," she said, pushing past Juliet and hopping out into the cavern. "Until then, grab a communicator and stay in touch; with me and with Mulch."

She didn't wait for a response. She just drew her neutrino and stepped through the still smoking opening. She didn't want them to see her fear, her guilt. All she wanted was to see Artemis. Alive.

It was immediately obvious that she was in some kind of labyrinth. Severed wires poked out of the wall where she had blown a hole, gently sparking. She was fully aware that there was a very real chance that she heading into some kind of trap, but she took off at a run anyway, unwilling to let something insignificant like concern for her own safety get in her way.

* * *

The Butler looked on as Holly disappeared into the maze, and then looked at each other.

"Well?" asked Juliet. "Do we have any better ideas?"

Butler shook his head. "Artemis in there. All we can do is try and get him out."

His sister nodded and once they had both retrieved communicators as per Holly's instructions, they followed the elf's lead. Butler was initially unwilling to split up with his little sister, but even he couldn't deny that the area they were searching was pretty big. As Juliet pointed out, three groups could cover ground a lot faster than two.

Despite her own logic, however, Juliet herself couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive as she watched her brother disappear into the darkness, Sig Sauer up. Her surroundings weren't exactly familiar. Or friendly.

 _Ignore it,_ she told herself, _Artemis needs you._

Swallowing her fear, she made a start, mimicking her brother but with a neutrino raised instead of a human handgun. Wisps of a fog like vapor swirled around the ceiling but she didn't bother investigating them.

It wasn't long before she was completely lost. Unsure of what else to do, she raised the communicator she had retrieved from the shuttle to her lips.

"You guys there?" she said, immediately feeling silly for asking.

"I read you," came the predictably professional response from both Holly and Butler.

"Any luck?"

"Negative." Again the replies were identical.

Juliet cursed and continued her journey deeper into the labyrinth. This time, however, she was interrupted not by her own uncertainty but by a growl.

Instantly alert, she froze, turning her ear to better listen. Again came the growl.

 _Feline,_ she thought. _Some kind of big cat._

Juliet Butler was not a girl easily frightened. Clutching her neutrino tightly, she smiled a vicious smile.

"Here, kitty," she called. "I've got a nice, warm saucer of milk for you."

The cat's padded footfalls were easily audible as it approached. Even though the light was dim, Juliet was confident she would have a clear shot. But just as she heard the cat about to turn the corner and show itself, silence resumed.

"What the…" she whispered. There were no more footsteps, no more breaths, no more growls. Just silence. Juliet rummaged through the fairy equipment she had borrowed from the shuttle, eventually finding what she was looking for – an LEP scanner. Holly's sensors hadn't been able to breach the exterior, but perhaps she could detect the animal from so close.

"D'Arvit," she muttered when the readout came up blank for lifeforms. But then her eye was drawn to something else; a large energy source was flashing up only about twenty meters from her. She was torn - she was supposed to be looking for Artemis, but that at the moment that seemed like looking for a needle in a needle stack. On the other hand, this energy source might shed some light on a few things. In the end, her curiosity won out.

Taking extraordinary care to check every corner she passed for predatory cats, she slowly made her way in the indicated direction. The dull wall – just as blank as any of the others – that met her when she arrived wasn't quite as exciting as she had hoped.

 _I could always take a leaf out of Holly's book_ , she mused, her hand straying to the hilt of the energy sword. According to the scanner, the mysterious energy source was directly on the other side of the wall.

Juliet shrugged and drew the sword, activating it and turning the power once again up to maximum. As before, orange energy danced along the black blade. After quickly checking behind her, Juliet plunged the blade into the wall. It offered no resistance, melting around the plasma-enhanced blade. Smiling right from ear to ear, she carved a neat circle out and kicked it in the center, sending the shape flying into the newly revealed room.

"This is even more cool than I thought," she muttered as she stepped through her improvised entrance, careful not to touch the still glowing edges. "Hello? Anybody here?"

When she received no response, she took stock of her surroundings. She appeared to be in some kind of control room; massive consoles lined the walls and a mess of wires covered every surface that wasn't a computer. The whole place pulsed with a kind of energy, but it felt like no-one had set foot in the room for months, if not years.

Directly in front of her was a door that looked like it was built to withstand a thermonuclear warhead. Juliet was curious in spite of herself.

 _What are you hiding?_ she wondered as she walked up to it. Juliet's gnomish was far worse than her brother's – she had tried to learn before she had been mind wiped, but she could only remember a few bit and pieces. By luck, however, she was able to decipher the sign on the door. She recognized the word from Fowl Manor; Artemis had written it in Gnomish and English on the entrance to his own workshop.

 _Laboratory._

Whatever it was, it seemed… _sinister_. But Juliet decided she didn't have time for mysterious secret labs at the moment. She turned back to the rest of the room. _Maybe if I can interface with the system, I can help find Artemis…_ It was a long shot, she knew that, but it was worth a try.

"Holly?" she asked over the airwaves. "I need you to patch me through to Foaly."

She got a sarcastic laugh in response. "Any other miracles you want while I'm at it?"

"I'm serious. I think I've found some kind of mainframe; I need Foaly to help me access it. Maybe it can help find Arty."

Holly said nothing for a moment. "I'll be shocked if I can even reach him from here," she said eventually. "But I'll see what I can do."

* * *

 **Police Plaza, Haven City, The Lower Elements**

Foaly was having one of those days where you just sort of try and _ignore_ the fact that your best friends are probably in grave danger. At present, he was doing so by working on a side project of his and humming a little tune. Unfortunately, he was interrupted by Commander K'Azir.

"Foaly," he began seriously. "Are you aware that, a short time ago, an LEP shuttle was stolen using access codes that should have been top secret?"

The centaur gulped. K'Azir didn't look like someone who wanted to be taken lightly.

"I think I saw an alert about it, sir," he replied carefully.

"At the moment, the dwarf Mulch Diggums is the prime suspect. Off the top of your head, can you think of any of Diggums', shall we say, past accomplices?"

"Not off the top of my head, sir," said Foaly, increasingly uncomfortable with the direction this was heading.

"The name Holly Short springs to mind. Are you aware also that Captain Short recently left for the surface, and has subsequently blocked all communications from official sources?"

Foaly said nothing.

"Holly is on that shuttle right now, isn't she?"

Foaly turned away. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said in a tone that made it very clear that not only did he know exactly what K'Azir was talking about, but also that Holly Short was indeed _on that shuttle_.

"Foaly-" K'Azir began sternly, but he was cut off by Foaly's communicator buzzing.

"Terribly sorry sir, but I gotta take this. Holly? Hi. I was just telling the commander about how you _definitely_ _aren't_ on board any stolen shuttles with kleptomaniac dwarves." There was a pause while the centaur listened to what Holly was saying. "Wait, you need me to what?"

* * *

It wasn't long before Juliet heard Foaly's voice in her ear.

"Right, I need you to plug some LEP tech into the mainframe. It doesn't really matter what, just anything that I have a link to."

"Would this communicator work?" asked Juliet, regretting that Artemis wasn't around to deal with the technical side of things.

"Probably," said Foaly. "Just find any access port and connect the omnisensor. I should be able to do the rest."

"How long will it take?"

Foaly sounded uncomfortable. "If there's no security, only a few seconds. If there's encryption, anywhere between a minute and a few days, depending on the sophistication."

"I don't like the second option," muttered Juliet as she did as she was instructed."

Foaly was easily audible tapping away at keys down in Haven. "Great," he said. "I'm now receiving a link from… wait a minute, where the hell actually are you?"

Juliet shrugged, even though the centaur couldn't see her. "Long story."

"Never mind," said Foaly. "OK, I'm in. Parts of the system are encrypted, I'll try and break that later. For now, I'll see if there's anything here that can help me find Artemis."

Juliet waited patiently for a few minutes as Foaly worked. Eventually he seemed to finish whatever he was doing.

"So there's good news and bad news. As far as I can tell, this system controls some kind of labyrinth, but it's mostly automated. The good news is I can access the automated systems, so I've turned them all off."

"Hold up a minute," interrupted Juliet. "What do you mean controlling? A maze is a maze, right? What do you control from a computer?"

"Honestly, I can't fully tell since, as you might have noticed, I'm not actually there. All I can see is what the system tells me. Although one of the things I switched off was the release of some kind of hallucinogenic gas. That seemed kind of important."

Juliet frowned. Now that she thought about it, she did remember seeing a sort of fog like substance floating around. That might explain her experience with the seemingly non-existent big cat.

"And the bad news?"

"There's a camera system, but it's part of an encrypted bit of the system, so I can't access it. In fact, that goes for all the sensors. So I can't help find Artemis right now."

Before Juliet could curse, Butler's voice came over the airwaves. "Whatever you did Foaly, it shut off the lights. I'm totally blind."

"Alright big man, let the genius see what he can do." Foaly tapped a few keys. "Yep, one of things I switched off was some sort of dynamic lighting, no doubt intended to manipulate the psyche of someone trapped here. I'll turn it to maximum."

All of sudden, a wall of light filled the passageways outside the mainframe room, shining through Juliet's hole. The girl smiled as she imagined her brother blinking furiously in response to the sudden light.

"Frond almighty…" Foaly seemed half horrified, half impressed. "The more I learn about this place, the more messed up it is. I think it's been engineered specifically for Artemis. Whoever did this had holograms rigged up of all his friends dying. They're good, too… much as I hate admit it, better than any of mine." The centaur tailed off again, no doubt uncovering some other feature of the labyrinth. "You guys really need to find Artemis. Fast."

Juliet was immediately alert. "Is he in danger?"

"Not directly, but this place… you said he was already unstable, right? Everything here is designed to attack the sanity of someone trapped here. Even just from what I've seen already, with the drugs and holograms and the speakers and illusions, I'd be impressed if anyone could last a day without losing their mind. Let alone someone as ill as Artemis. If you want to save anything of his mind, you need to find him. Now."

Before anyone could say anything, however, another voice cut in. Holly's.

"I see him."

 **A/N: As you can imagine, Holly and Artemis's exchange in the previous chapter directly follows from here. As I said, I hope this clears a few things up (in particular Holly's thoughts). The main plot line will resume in the next chapter.**

 **Feedback is of course appreciated. Thanks in advance :)**

 **-Kio**


	22. Reunited

**A/N: A slightly shorter chapter, but important to the plot. We return to just after Holly and Artemis speak in the labyrinth. Hope you enjoy :)**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 22;**

 **Labyrinth, Hidden Cavern Near E37, Present Time**

Artemis was far too weak to pull himself up the rope ladder that Mulch had dropped from the shuttle, so instead he simply clung on and allowed himself to be hoisted up.

"You're a lot heavier than you used to be," commented Holly as she helped him aboard the shuttle. Artemis didn't respond immediately, instead opting to simply enjoy the comfort that her touch brought.

"How did you find me?" he asked once he was inside the shuttle and had had the chance to sit down.

Holly looked a little guilty for a moment, but Mulch didn't seem to share the feeling.

"Butler sprayed a tracker on your shoes," he explained. "But that isn't important right now. What's important right now is that it has been at least an hour since I ate anything. Care to set that right?"

Artemis shook his head in exasperation. To say that the way to Mulch's heart was through his stomach would possibly be the greatest understatement of all time.

"I'm afraid I do not have any food on my person. But I can instead offer you my gratitude for your help in liberating me."

Mulch looked thoroughly unimpressed with this alternative, but Holly cut in before he could voice a complaint.

"Back to fives already, Artemis?"

The boy looked away. He had forgotten how sharp Holly could be in her observations.

"You are a great comfort to me, Holly. Your presence has helped me to regain some semblance of sanity. But yes, the compulsions are returning."

"Wait, this again?" interrupted Mulch, doing a spectacular job of undermining Artemis's candidness. "Excellent! This was great banter last time."

Keep to change the subject, Artemis turned to look out of the shuttle's artificial windows.

"We appear to be underground," he observed.

Holly nodded and explained that they were in a completely uncharted area, likely illegally constructed by their foe. "Let's go get Butler and Juliet," she added, making to reassume her normal role as pilot.

Artemis couldn't help smiling as he joined her in the co-pilot's seat. "They are here as well?"

"Naturally. You didn't think they would let me come and rescue you on my own, did you?"

"I supposed not," agreed Artemis. Holly expertly piloted the shuttle to another section of the maze – only now did Artemis truly appreciate the scale of it; the great labyrinth stretched out for miles – and, exactly as Mulch had done before, used the cannons to blow a hole in the roof. Two figures emerged from the rubble, one normal sized and one enormous.

As soon as Butler was aboard, he engulfed his young charge in a huge bear hug.

"I thought you were going to die," he said quietly.

At first Artemis didn't respond, instead choosing to spend a moment fully appreciating quite how comforting it was to have his friends with him again after the overwhelming fear in the labyrinth. He addressed Juliet first once he had extricated himself from Butler's embrace, but wasn't quite able to meet her eyes.

"I assumed the worst. After Natalya… I'm sorry, Juliet. It was my fault that you were ever even in danger."

The girl smiled. "No more guilt Artemis. It wasn't your fault. I wanted to come, remember? And there's no way you could have foreseen what happened."

Artemis looked a little cynical, but didn't press it. "And Minerva. Is she alright?"

Juliet nodded. "She was only hit in the leg. Someone called an ambulance immediately and they rushed her off to hospital. She was long gone by the time Holly arrived and healed me. I haven't actually seen her, but Foaly hacked into the hospital records and told me that her status was stable."

Looking relieved, Artemis turned his attention to his bodyguard.

"And you, my oldest friend," he said, a rare note of emotion sneaking into his voice. "I thought you _did_ die."

"What do you mean?" Butler looked puzzled.

Artemis sat down again and explained about the holograms, about watching Holly die and seeing Butler's body, and about Juliet blaming him.

Juliet nodded understandingly. Foaly had told her about the holograms, and even he had admitted that they were indistinguishable from real people.

"You should have seen him when I found him," added Holly from the cockpit. "He was convinced I was a hologram. Kept on insisting that he didn't want to me die. It was kind of sweet, actually."

Rolling his eyes, Artemis sighed. His friends did have a certain habit of embarrassing him.

"How did you convince him that you were real?" asked Juliet curiously.

Elf and boy shared a look. "Using logic and reason, of course," answered Holly quickly. "How else would someone get through to Artemis?"

Juliet didn't look entirely convinced, but she didn't push it. Instead, she passed Artemis a fairy communicator.

"I think Foaly wants to talk to you," she told him.

Frowning slightly, Artemis took the offered communicator and greeted the centaur.

"Still alive then, Mud Boy?" Foaly began. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're actually lucid enough to talk right now."

"Atlantis jokes are getting old," muttered Artemis.

"I didn't mean that," Foaly said, his tone unusually serious. "I meant that place." As the centaur a brief explanation of what Artemis had actually been exposed to, the boy's face steadily darkened. Mulch, on the other hand, looked slightly underwhelmed.

"Oh, scary," he said sarcastically. "Holograms and spooky sounds."

"Yes, actually," countered Foaly. "At least, if done right. Prolonged exposure to hallucinogenic drugs and traumatic stimuli will drive anyone out of their minds. With Artemis already… vulnerable… let's just say I'm impressed you're still with us, Mud Boy."

Artemis smiled weakly, but internally he was appalled. None of it had been real. It had all been a trick from Amber. A lie. At first he had believed it. But then, once it had become clear that the threats were not real, he had believed himself to be the one producing the visions. He had believed that it was Atlantis. She had tried to convince him that he was insane.

And the part that pained him the most was that she had succeeded. She had done what Koboi had never quite managed. She had broken him. He had been ready to accept death at the hands of a monster that was not even real. He had lost the will to live, lost the will to fight. That was, until Holly had given him back something to fight for.

 _Holly…_

Thinking about Holly was… confusing. Artemis decided that he would have to address how he felt about her in some depth when this was all over. Perhaps he might even be able to make some sense of it. Until then, however, there was still Amber.

"I'm going to find her," he said quietly.

Everyone else in the shuttle turned to look him. "Who?" asked Butler.

"Amber. The person responsible for all of this; her name is Amber. She murdered Trouble. She tortured Holly. She made me believe that Holly was dead, and she broke me. She is going to kill hundreds of millions of people. And I'm going to bring her to justice. I don't care what it takes, I will hunt her down like the animal that she is."

The shuttle's other occupants stared at him, unused to such sentiments coming from someone normally as calm and measured Artemis. He had spoken quietly, but the power in his tone had been undeniable. The iron determination.

Foaly, who was still listening in from all the way back in Police Plaza, was the first to speak.

"Hold up a minute," he said. "What do you mean she's going to kill hundreds of millions of people?"

Artemis quickly outlined Amber's plan to cause war between humanity and the People. Everyone was understandably speechless with horror.

Holly recovered first, but there was still disgust in her voice. "Tonight is the winter solstice. They'll be fairies everywhere at Tara. It would be a massacre."

"K'Azir needs to hear about this," said Butler, his gravelly voice even graver than usual.

"Already on it," said Foaly, and a moment later the LEP commander was patched into the call.

"The way I see it," K'Azir began, already forgetting his anger at Holly for essentially going rogue. "We only have one choice. We kill her. This plan is too dangerous."

Holly was shocked. "Commander, how can you suggest that? We're not humans, we don't just kill people we don't like!"

"Captain Short, while I admire your principals-"

"No," cut in Artemis. "Holly is right. Regardless of the moral implications, our credibility dies with Amber. If she succeeds, she will leave hundreds of bodies at the feet of humans. Every fairy in Haven will cry for war, and they won't care what the LEP says. But if we have the person responsible, if we can demonstrate that she did it, not humans, it is possible that we can avoid war."

"That will hardly matter if she bio-bombs human cities," K'Azir reminded him.

Holly spoke before Artemis could. "That is why we cannot allow that to happen."

"And how exactly to you propose to achieve that?" K'Azir challenged.

"Actually, I think I might be able to help with that," interrupted Foaly. "I'm still hooked up into Amber's system in the labyrinth. There is a constant data stream between this system and the mainframe at another location, designated "Nebula Facility". I've tracked this location to a disused fairy fort in south-eastern France, near the alps."

There was silence for a moment. Holly looked at Artemis.

"Is it possible?" she asked.

The boy thought for a moment and nodded. "Kiril did say her base was in south-eastern France. And an old fort would be near enough to the surface to be accessible to her human allies. Foaly, do you think she could have converted the fort into a base of operations and weapons factory?"

"I suppose so," the centaur replied reluctantly. "But it pains me to think that she managed all of this without us realizing. We just never kept close surveillance on the disused forts; we didn't think that anything like this could happen!"

Artemis closed his eyes. He gave himself ninety seconds to consider the options available. Everyone else present had known him long enough to recognize when he was in planning mode, and so they gave him silence to help him concentrate. Well, all apart from Mulch, whose continuous complaints about being hungry and under-appreciated formed a sort of background hum.

"Very well," said Artemis when he finally opened his eyes. "The situation is not an ideal one. I believe our best option is as follows: we go immediately to the Nebula Facility and attempt to prevent Amber from launching the missiles and capture her in order to give credence to the idea that any surface killings were not the fault of humanity. Meanwhile, K'Azir sends his best fairies to Tara to mount a defense against her human assassins."

"It's not a very sophisticated plan, is it?" said Mulch, as usual failing to grasp the gravity of the situation. "I mean, even I could have come up with that."

"Perhaps," admitted Artemis. "But it is nevertheless our best chance. Hopefully we will have the element of surprise on our side."

"I'm with Artemis," said Holly. "We don't have time to waste, we need to go now. We need to act."

"You know, Mud Boy," said K'Azir. "I'm not happy about you giving orders. But all the same, I agree with you. And Holly is right, too; we can't sit around here burning sunshine."

Holly looked grim. "Sunshine? We ran out of sunshine hours ago. The solstice celebrations will begin any time soon, and Amber's people won't be far behind."

"Agreed. I'll send Galadhon with the best fairies we have to Tara, but we're relying on you to get to Amber." K'Azir paused for a moment. "D'Arvit. I thought the worst of this was done after Pripyat, then I thought the same after Brazil. Why is nothing ever easy?"

Holly gave a hollow laugh. "The only easy day… was yesterday."

* * *

 **Stolen LEP Shuttle, French Airspace**

Thanks to a disregard for speed regulations from Holly that everyone was by now accustomed to, they crew didn't have to waste too much of what little time they had journeying to their destination.

"OK, I hope everyone is kitted out," said Holly as she and Artemis strode through into the cabin from the cockpit. "We're almost at the co-ordinates Foaly gave us."

Artemis looked at each of his friends in turn, swallowing his fear.

"We are going into the unknown," he began. "I have no idea what Amber has waiting for us. Our coms will almost certainly be jammed as soon as we are inside, so we will be on our own. Make no mistake, it will be dangerous. But I trust each and every one of you with my life."

Everyone in the shuttle shared a look. Artemis's words brought home an uncomfortable truth. They were journeying into the dragon's den without any information or guidance. For once, even Mulch didn't seem to have any sarcastic comments to offer.

"You don't need to remind us of the risks, Artemis," said Holly softly, after a moments silence. "No-one forced us to be here; we're here because we choose it. We know it's dangerous, but when wasn't it? This whole saving the world thing, it's what we do. And we won't ever stop, because the alternative is giving up and abandoning everything that we hold dear."

Juliet adopted a sort of crooked smile. "It's like Holly said earlier," she chimed in. "It doesn't get any easier, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're with you, Artemis. Until the end."

Holly and Butler nodded to indicate that Juliet did indeed speak for them. Mulch looked slightly uncomfortable and muttered something that might have been "speak for yourself", but thankfully no-one else seemed to hear him. Or at least, if they did, they made the wise decision not to acknowledge it.

For his part, Artemis was genuinely touched. He had forgotten quite how much the others meant to him. They were his family. Brothers and sisters in arms that would die for each other in a heartbeat.

Smiling uncharacteristically, Artemis drew from his companions the strength to overcome, just for a moment, the insanity that plagued his mind.

"Good luck, my friends," he said, unaffected by the four-word sentence.

* * *

 **Police Plaza, Haven City, The Lower Elements**

Stood in a sealed off LEP briefing room, Captain Galadhon regarded the fairies assembled in front of him. Each wore the same curious expression, waiting to be told why they had been summoned here at such short notice with no explanation.

There were twenty-four in all. Half that number was made up of Team Wraith, the only other elite strike team besides Storm. The other twelve included what was left of Team Storm after the Pripyat incident and a hand-picked group of the best shooters from other LEP divisions.

"I suppose you're wondering what this is about," Galadhon began, doing his best to quell his own fear. What K'Azir had asked of him was more than dangerous. And while he was more than prepared to give his life for the People, that didn't mean he wanted to.

The assorted fairies nodded. None of them had been given the slightest indication as to why they were actually here.

Galadhon took a breath. "You're here because you're the best we have. There's an op. It's dangerous. Very dangerous. But it could be vital to the survival of the People."

He paused, letting that sink in. "Anyone who does not wish to take part, please leave now. No-one will think any less of you. But if you stay, you are agreeing not only to undertake this mission, but also to maintain complete secrecy about it. Anything said in this room, stays in this room, Clear?"

Again, the fairies nodded. Galadhon gave them a full thirty seconds to consider their options, but no-one got up to leave.

"Good," he said, unable to help himself smiling a little with pride. He hadn't been sure that everyone would be willing to stay.

"Spit it out, Galadhon," said the Captain of Wraith, an elf famed for his no-nonsense attitude. "What are we expected to do?"

"The situation is as follows," Galadhon explained. "We have intelligence that a human force of unknown size and strength, equipped and informed by a rogue fairy, will attack Tara tonight. Our mission is simple. Stop them."

It was clear from their expressions that the fairies before him found this suggestion about as appealing as Galadhon had when K'Azir had informed him. That is to say, not in the slightest.

"You're saying that you want us to engage the Mud People, in open combat, on the surface?" asked someone, not even trying to hide their shock.

Galadhon nodded grimly. "I'm not going to sugar coat this. We have no idea what's waiting for us up there. All we know is, it's going to kill hundreds of fairies if we don't stop it."

"What does the council say about this?" inquired a gnome that had been drafted from Recon.

Galadhon laughed hollowly in response. "You think the council knows about this?" he asked sarcastically, shaking his head. "This is pretty much the blackest op that any of you will ever take part in. There is no council mandate. We're not going up there as part of the LEP, we're going up there on our own. There will be no record of any of this. As far as the LEP is concerned, this will never have happened."

The group assembled before him seemed to grow even more uncomfortable, if that were possible. Galadhon guessed that there were quite a few who were wishing they had walked out when they had the chance.

K'Azir had explained the reasoning behind the decision to proceed without clearance to him when he had relayed Artemis's information. It was partly because the council was notoriously bureaucratic and slow to make decisions, and it was imperative they proceed as soon as possible.

But mainly, it made the mission deniable. Even if Holly and Artemis succeeded in containing Amber, there was a real possibility that events on the surface could still expose the People. If that happened, then it was vital that the council was able to renounce any involvement with the fairies fighting at Tara. To many humans, the fairies would seem like the aggressors.

This was K'Azir's op; if it came to the worst, he would take full responsibility for it. In essence, he was the fall guy. The LEP could scapegoat him to try and save itself. His career would be ruined, but there would at least be a slim chance of diplomacy between humans and fairies. Galadhon couldn't help but respect the bravery in it.

Although most of the fairies seemed highly unsure, the Captain of Wraith wore a mask of iron determination.

"I am loyal to the People," he said simply. "If this is what I must do, so be it. When do we leave?"

Galadhon smiled; the other captain's words appeared to at least partially reassure the others.

"As soon as possible. Gear up." The elf paused, surveying his troops. There was no disputing the danger they were heading into. He didn't know how many would return to Haven. He would be lying if he said that he knew for certain that it would be any at all. "Good luck, my friends."

 **A/N: This basically marks the start of the end. Artemis and co. vs Amber, Galadhon vs her human soldiers. Hopefully will be exciting, but things are going to get pretty serious from here.**

 **As usual, please tell me what you thought. I always love getting reviews, positive or negative (although naturally the positive one are my favs :D).**

 **-Kio**


	23. Forsaken

**A/N: Here we go. Hope you enjoy :)**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 23;**

 **Near Nebula Facility, South-eastern France**

Holly landed the shuttle in her usual expert way about half a kilometer away from their target, despite vocal objections from Artemis about the prospect of walking.

The shuttle itself was shielded and so they were confident that it would remain undiscovered in the French countryside, but you could never be sure. Holly had suggested that, after getting them into the Nebula Facility, Mulch would return to the shuttle. He would be able to move it if any humans seemed like they might get close enough to realize it was there, and he could come and get them when they were done. The caveat "if any of them were still alive" had been considerately omitted.

Mulch actually quite liked this course of action, as it meant that he wouldn't actually be in much danger. Getting shot at wasn't really his thing, as he always wasted no time in reminding them.

Artemis looked around at the others as they disembarked the shuttle.

 _Five of us, including me. A good omen._

The boy shook his head. He wanted nothing more than to banish the voice of madness, but it seemed to endure all. If he wanted to get well, one way or another he would need to address his guilt. He wondered briefly if there was a way that he could make amends for his mistakes.

"Alright, we better get moving," declared Holly, drawing him from his thoughts.

Artemis nodded, following the elfin captain as she took point, weapon already up. Apparently, she wasn't taking any chances. Her shield was down to conserve what magic she had left after healing Juliet; if a human happened to spot her, they would just have to eat a neutrino blast.

Butler stuck close to Artemis, keen to not to fail in his protectionary duties again, while Juliet took up the rear. Like Holly, both gripped neutrinos – since they had agreed that securing Amber alive would be imperative if Galadhon could not hold Tara, Butler had abandoned his beloved Sig Sauer on the shuttle in favor of a non-lethal fairy weapon.

Mulch sort of ambled along a short distance away from the others, hunting for beetles and occasionally grumbling about various things. No-one could really hear him, but they assumed that they were something to do with being hungry or not being paid enough for this. Or being paid anything, for that matter.

Shrouded in mist and darkness, the five of them made quick progress, with Artemis only just able to keep up with Holly's aggressive pace.

"This is it," announced Holly after a short time, consulting her wrist computer and indicating an assuming mound of earth ahead of them.

"Doesn't look like much," commented Juliet doubtfully. "Not exactly the classic supervillain hideaway."

"It's not supposed to look like much," Holly reminded her. "It used to be a hidden fort, about a hundred years ago. Artemis and Foaly reckon that Amber converted it into some kind of weapons factory." She glanced at the troubled boy. "Right?"

Artemis nodded in confirmation.

"Right," Holly continued. "So we don't really know what's down there, and we don't really have a way to find out."

"What if it's like Koboi Labs?" Mulch asked. "What if she has DNA cannons everywhere?"

Everyone shared an uncomfortable look.

"Well?" demanded the dwarf.

Holly shrugged. "We hope that she doesn't"

"I find that answer vague and unsatisfying," muttered Mulch. None of the others appeared entirely convinced either, but they didn't voice their concerns. They knew that it was impossible to prepare for every eventuality at such short notice with such limited equipment and information.

Holly took a few steps, consulting her wrist computer. "Here," she said once satisfied. "This is our entry point." She turned to Mulch. "You're up."

The dwarf cocked his head to one side, then the other, resulting in a series of sickening cracks.

Juliet actually flinched. "You sure that's… healthy?"

Mulch rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I'm a professional," seemingly amazed that anyone would have the audacity to question him. "You know the drill," he added, now addressing the group as a whole. "Stand back."

It didn't take long for the others to take cover. They had all seen Mulch operate countless times, but it only took one to be aware of the risks of standing too close. Butler in particular understood, having been on the wrong side of Mulch's bum-flap during the Fowl Manor siege. It still wasn't an experience he planned on repeating any time soon. Or ever.

As Mulch began delving into the earth, Artemis found himself beside Holly, a short way from the Butlers. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to concentrate on a memory. Back in the labyrinth, when Holly had kissed him, he had felt a lot of different emotions. One had stood out, though, one that he had almost forgotten existed. Hope. He focused on the memory, but the exact sensation seemed to elude him. He had been… _lucid._ That was it. For a moment, he had been free of the madness and able to think clearly.

It was precisely that clarity of thought that was evading him now. He could sense sanity, just out of reach, tantalizing him. But every time he got close he was pushed back, unable to surface from the sea of delusions. And the numbers, he couldn't get them out of his head. They were always there, impossible to ignore. Everything had to be counted. Everything.

Holly was watching him, he realized. Watching him closely. _She's noticing me struggling to maintain control of my mind_ , he thought, again frustrated by the elf's keen observations.

"Arty, are you OK?" she asked, her face full of concern.

 _Arty._ She hadn't called him that since before he had deceived her about Trouble's death. And before that? She had adopted it before finding out about his cruelest of tricks on her. Guilt gnawed at his stomach. How many times was he going to hurt her?

Artemis twitched slightly, trying to stay in control. _Five!_ he though desperately. _Five,_ _ten, fifteen, twenty!_

"Arty?" Holly said again, her worry growing.

The boy shook his head, trying to pretend like it wasn't serious.

"It's nothing important," he muttered. "I just can't get these numbers out of my head." He panicked for a moment when he realized that he had only spoken twelve words. "Five!" he blurted suddenly. "I'm sorry…"

Holly laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be. I know this is hard." She paused, trying to find the right words to express what she wanted to say. "Listen, are you sure you need to come with us? You're not well. I don't want you to get hurt…"

Artemis interrupted her by vigorously shaking his head. "Yes, I need to. The likelihood that any of you are able to abort the launches is minimal, and we can't risk failure. Not today."

Holly opened her mouth to disagree, but Artemis cut her off before she could speak.

"Please, Holly, I have to do this. We both know I won't be able to live with myself if she succeeds today. I _have_ to stop her, whatever it takes."

"Even if it costs you your life?" Holly whispered, avoiding eye contact.

Artemis nodded. "If that is what it takes then so be it."

"And what about me?" There was a note of anger creeping into Holly's voice now. "You've got it all worked out, haven't you? You already feel so guilty that you figured, "hey, so what if I die? At least I'll be making up for my mistakes". Well, what about me? What about Butler? Your parents? The twins?"

Artemis didn't have an answer for that. Holly was more or less right. He had tasted hope, back in the labyrinth, but it was gone now, just out of reach. Amber had broken him and he couldn't quite fit the pieces back together again.

 _Maybe…_ said a quiet voice in his head. _Maybe Holly can._

He wasn't quite sure where the thought had come from, but he wasn't afforded the luxury of time to consider it. Mulch was loudly emerging from his hole, proclaiming the way to be clear.

Holly turned away from Artemis. "Let's go," she said, no hint of emotion in her voice.

* * *

Mulch did his best to hide his slightly smug expression as the others climbed gingerly into his hole. Holly was the first in. The smell was foul even through her helmet filters, but it would be far worse for the others.

"Kind of reminds me of Koboi Labs," commented the dwarf, watching Juliet turn slightly green as she caught a whiff of what she was climbing into.

The others said nothing. The similarities hadn't been lost on them, although as far as Butler remembered, the toxic sewage they had crawled through then had been far worse than this.

Artemis, Holly, Butler and Juliet tried not to think too much about Mulch's recycling processes as they made their way down the vertical shaft he had excavated. He'd done his best to make it tolerable for them, but the… _excess_ had to go somewhere. The rough earth walls formed natural footholds, but their descent was still precarious. None of them could help from imagining Mulch back on the surface, no doubt enjoying the lack of imminent danger to his personal health.

The others, of course, were not so lucky. Each refused to show fear in their expressions, but it was impossible to ignore the fact that they had no idea what they were about to face. If Mulch's Koboi Labs analogy was as apt as he thought, then they might be running straight into an arsenal of DNA cannons. All they could do was hope that they did indeed have the element of surprise on their side, and that it would be enough to let them stop Amber. And enough to keep them alive in the process. It wasn't exactly comforting.

As the first into the hole, Holly was naturally also the first to reach the bottom. She called up to the others not to step on her and began investigating the floor. It didn't take long for her hand to brush metal.

"I've think I've found the entrance," she announced.

"Entrance?" Juliet sounded doubtful. "Looks more like the roof to me."

Holly shrugged. "It's about to be remodeled," she said, taking from her belt Artemis's laser pointer. She had confiscated it from him after he had used it to literally ignite a kraken when they returned from the past. It was unlikely that her neutrino would be able to penetrate the reinforced structure, but the laser pointer had been designed by Artemis to cut through anything, so that was probably what it did. Things built by Artemis tended to be like that. She hoped he wouldn't fail her this time.

Holly smiled appreciatively as the concentrated beam of light sliced cleanly through the ceiling of the old fort. She briefly glanced upwards at her human friend, mentally thanking him for his genius. _He's so out of his mind at the moment that he probably doesn't even recognize his own equipment being used_ , she reflected miserably.

"Don't think I don't notice you using my laser pointer," Artemis said indignantly. "And you promised me that you would give that back," he added more quietly.

"I will," Holly retorted, bringing the laser around in a neat circle. "Eventually." Internally she was smiling though. She missed her banter with Artemis. It was nice to know at least some part of her friend was still around up there.

The now severed circle of metal dropped from underneath the group with a loud clang. Holly dropped nimbly through the opening with her neutrino raised, expertly clearing the room of possible hostiles.

"I hope no-one heard that," muttered Juliet as she followed her. Artemis was next, backed up by Butler.

The boy took stock of his surroundings. Darkness clung to the walls like a sinister mist, driven back only by the twin beams of light from Holly's helmet. They danced around the room as the elf looked around, slicing through the darkness but doing little to really illuminate the room. Flecks of dust fluttered in the beams wherever they fell, giving everything a slightly eerie feel.

According to the schematics Foaly had given them, they should have arrived in what used to be the armory. The empty racks that lined the walls seemed to confirm this, but they were… old. It didn't look like anyone had touched anything here for decades.

 _I really hope this is the right place_ , Artemis thought. _If Amber's not here…_

"This place is abandoned," commented Juliet, displaying a talent for stating the obvious that would rival Mulch's.

Holly turned to Artemis, not keen to accept defeat so easily.

"What are we looking for?" she asked, beneath her visor her eyes pleading for him to have something useful to say.

"For a start, confirmation that this is actually Amber's base. Mainly, though, I will almost certainly need access to her mainframe to abort the launches."

"Great," replied the elf sarcastically. "That sounds safe."

The group set off to begin investigating the fort, still unsure of exactly what they were looking for and growing more uneasy with every minute that passed uneventfully. It was like exploring some kind of ancient relic. Artemis supposed that in many ways, that was exactly what they were doing.

Everywhere was dark. Abandoned. It certainly didn't feel like an advanced weapons factory.

Foaly may have furnished them with a map that turned out to be more or less accurate, but that didn't mean they knew where they were going. The fort was expansive to say the least, and they had no way to know where Amber was. If she was here at all.

"Artemis, something's wrong," said Butler eventually, unable to tolerate the seemingly never-ending network of deserted corridors any longer. "This isn't right. No-one's here."

"No! She _is_ here," insisted Artemis, a little more loudly than he had intended. "She has to be here. Otherwise…" He didn't need to finish the sentence. Everyone knew what would happen if they were wrong about Amber's hideout. Put simply, the world would burn.

Holly consulted the Foaly's map again. "This way," she said, using her neutrino to indicate her intended direction. "We should go to the main hall. If there's anything here, it'll be there."

Artemis wasn't entirely convinced by this logic, but since he didn't have any better ideas, he kept his mouth shut and followed Holly. They crept silently through the eerie corridors, willing there to be _something_ around every next corner.

They made their way through endless rooms, the majority of which no longer had a recognizable purpose. Though some looked almost untouched, most were filled with rubble and debris. At the moment they were heading through what Artemis guessed was once some kind of storage; crates of Frond-knows-what were stacked high and half-intact shelves covered the walls. It was difficult to tell exactly how far the room stretched back, but he supposed it was at least thirty meters wide. Even so, the heaps of debris and walls of boxes still gave the place an oddly claustrophobic feel.

Holly was just opening her mouth to tell the others that they were almost at the main hall when a voice made itself heard from up ahead. It was female, and clearly belonged to someone unhinged. Artemis recognized it instantly.

"Fowl and Short have tracked us here!" it was saying – or, more precisely, screeching – hysterically. "They may have already infiltrated the fort! Find them! Kill them!"

For a moment, none of the intruders moved. The Butler shared a look. Holly was known for her ability to make quick decisions, but this time she wouldn't even get the chance. While Amber had only just realized that they were coming for her, someone else had already discovered their incursion.

A hail of bullets exploded out of the darkness and filled the air around the infiltrators. One glanced off Holly's helmet and another grazed her shoulder, but thankfully didn't penetrate the protective material. Already the elf had her weapon up and was trying to return fire.

Artemis was immediately crushed under the enormous bulk of his bodyguard as Butler dived on him. Juliet leapt for cover and made to help Holly bring down their attacker, but already he had melted back into the darkness. The echoes of automatic gunfire died bounced around in the sudden silence.

"So much for the element of surprise," muttered Holly sarcastically as her keen elfin eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign of movement. There! She immediately fired off three quick blasts, lighting up the gloom. In the sudden glow a figure was visible hiding among the crates, raising an AK47 assault rifle to retaliate.

Holly ducked as the messy spray of bullets passed over her head, taking a moment to consider the situation. On the positive side, they could be pretty sure that they had indeed found Amber's hideout. On the negative side, they were pinned down and the maniacal centaur now knew exactly where they were. They weren't going to get more than one chance to stop her, and Holly suspected that their window of opportunity was already closing.

"Cover me!" she the elf called. Juliet responded immediately, unleashing a barrage of lasers in the general direction of their attacker, forcing him to find cover. Holly wasted no time in taking advantage of the respite, jumping to her feet and sprinting over to Artemis and Butler.

The giant bodyguard took one look at her body language and knew she had a plan of some sort. "What do you need?"

Beneath her helmet, Holly's features twisted uncomfortably. "Give me Artemis. We don't have time for this; we have to go after Amber."

"No." Butler's face was set in stone. But it was clear from Artemis's expression that he had reached a similar conclusion.

"It is the only way," he said. "I'll be fine, old friend."

Butler's internal struggle was written all over his face. He knew it made sense, but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving Artemis to Amber's mercy again. Eventually, his soldier's sense won out. Holly was right, they didn't have time for him to be obstinate.

"Fine. Go. We'll be right behind you." The bodyguard stood up and together with his sister laid down suppressing fire, again forcing their opponent to duck and covering Holly and Artemis as they began to run in the direction of Amber's voice.

"Not so fast, Captain Short."

That voice. Natalya. Holly spun, already looking down the sights of her neutrino for a target. But the Russian girl stepped a crumbling pillar, effortlessly avoiding the series of laser blasts. Now they had opponents on multiple sides, but there was still a path to Amber. Holly looked at Artemis, trying to judge their chances - they wouldn't get far if Natalya shot them in the back.

Another burst of automatic gunfire erupted from the darkness, just barely missing Juliet, but this time Holly was quick enough to respond. The shooters muzzle flash made him an easy target, and Holly did not miss easy targets. Her neutrino blast caught him straight in the chest, the laser beam illuminating his face for the first time. Holly recognized Vladimir Petrenko at once, his features contorting in pain as he slumped.

 _Good_ , Holly thought, unashamed of her own spite, _I hope it hurts. I'll be back for you, Petrenko – if you leave this place alive, it will be on_ my _terms._

Immediately both Butler's switched their focus to Natalya, neutrinos fixed on her hiding place; if she so much as poked a toe out from behind the pillar she would end up unconscious.

"Don't be a coward now, come on out and face me," Juliet taunted. "I owe you the beating of a lifetime."

Natalya's sing-song laughter drifted towards them through the stale air. "If you insist," she called back, and tossed a futuristic-looking looking cylinder in their direction. Expecting it to be some kind of stun grenade, Juliet instinctively turned away from the strange device, protecting her eyes. She needn't have. Instead of emitting a bright flash, it simply exploded in a slightly pitiful array of sparks.

Butler was already watching their flank, wary of a distraction. Juliet laughed.

"That all you got?"

All in all, it would have been entirely unimpressive were it not for the fact that, unbeknownst to the others, all of the readout's on Holly's visor has just been mysteriously disabled. If Juliet had been paying closer attention, she would have noticed the little light on her neutrino wink out.

Natalya calmly stepped out into the open. She looked exactly as she did when Holly had first seen her, stunning and wrapped in a skin-tight black combat gear, twin swords strapped to her back. She wore the same disinterested look of contempt, as though the group assembled before her wasn't really worth anything as valuable as her attention.

Juliet aimed her neutrino quickly and squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened. Natalya's pretty features rearranged themselves into a cocky smile. She reached behind her and drew her swords, giving one of them an experimental twirl.

Artemis was the first to figure it out. "Some kind of localized EMP," he explained quickly. "All electronic systems within range will have been permanently disabled."

Natalya started slowly advancing on the group, her smile growing wider. "Smart Mud Boy."

Holly frowned. _Mud Boy? Why would another human call him that?_ But before she could think any further on it, Butler's voice cut through her thoughts like a knife.

"You were right," he shouted. "We don't have time for this. Go and find Amber. Stop her." He indicated Natalya. "We'll deal with this."

The elf nodded and grabbed Artemis, pulling him in the direction that they had heard Amber's voice come from earlier. The two ran hard, their heavy steps echoing around the abandoned fort. Around them shelves and racks of crates gave way to smooth walls and clear rooms, and after only a few moments the narrow corridors widened, eventually opening up into what was presumably the main hall.

In the center of the wide open space was an extremely high-tech looking titanium cube that strongly resembled Foaly's operations booth back in Police Plaza. Amber was clearly visible stood in the entrance. The maniacal centaur gave a cheerful little wave and flicked a switch. Huge blast doors slammed shut, cutting her off from view and the entire booth began sinking into the ground.

"D'Arvit!" exclaimed Holly. Never one to wait around, the elf immediately began sprinting towards their rapidly disappearing foe, reaching Amber's ops booth as it grew level with the floor. At first she was dismayed, imagining Amber to have been simply swallowed up by the ground, but it quickly became apparent that the cube was still moving, beneath ground level, leaving a square hole in the floor and giving her a view of a completely separate installation beneath them.

The elf hopped down onto the roof of the ops booth and tried to appraise her new surroundings. It seemed that Amber had constructed her weapons factory not within the fort, but _underneath_ it. Unlike above, nothing here looked neglected. Everything was modern and appeared to be bristling with technology. Every imaginable kind of weapon lined the walls, and half-finished projects littered the floor. It seemed to Holly more like a glorified workshop than anything else.

"Holly!"

The shout snapped the elf back to reality. Artemis's head suddenly appeared above her, looking worried. It was clear why; the ops booth was still descending and the floor was rapidly closing after it. Artemis's features were steadily getting smaller.

"Jump!" Holly shouted, not really knowing what other option there was. But the distance wasn't a short one – at least five meters and still growing. There was no way Artemis could get down to her before the floor closed without breaking anything important.

Taking a steadying breath and closing his eyes, Artemis launched himself into the shrinking void. The impact was quick and brutal, sickening cracks sounding out as Artemis's legs shattered. The boy yelled out in pain, writhing around and whimpering.

Holly was horrified. She could actually hear bones grating in his trouser leg. Blood from where snapped bone had punctured his flesh was dripping down his ankle.

In a heartbeat, she was back in the gorilla cage, back in the past, watching Artemis bleed out. Desperate to help him, but still believing herself to be tainted with Spelltropy and terrified of what her magic would do to him.

The fate of the world was balanced on the edge of a knife. Artemis was the only one who could abort the launches. But Holly didn't care about that. All she could think about was her friend, bloody and broken. She stared at Artemis, her eyes blurring with tears, unable to bring herself to do much of anything.

 _Pull yourself together. You are a professional. There is more at stake here than your friend's life!_

Holly cupped Artemis's face gently in both hands.

"Heal," she whispered, almost sobbed.

What magic she had left leapt to Artemis and began targeting his legs. The blue sparks danced up and down the mutilated limbs, knitting bone and repairing flesh. But the flow of magic was already growing weaker.

"No!" said Holly aloud, terrified of what would happen if the flow stopped.

 _What if I can't fully heal him? What if I just damned him to never walk again?_ When she had told him to jump, she had been expecting a small break that she could heal easily, but it seemed she had drastically misjudged the distance.

As she worried, her final sparks of magic jumped onto Artemis's legs, fizzling out moments later. She tried to push harder, but nothing would come. She was spent. The healing certainly wasn't pretty, but hopefully it would be enough. Hopefully it would hold. Not knowing what else to do, the elf pulled off her helmet and cradled Artemis's head in her hands.

"Please be OK," she begged. "Please. I can't do without you."

Up above her the roof had long since closed. She had no way to know if the Butler's had been able to defeat Natalya, but either way they wouldn't be able to come and help her and Artemis. They were alone against Amber.

Artemis's eyes flicked open. He gave an experimental wiggle of one of his legs.

"Everything seems to be in working order," he observed, catching Holly's eye. "Magic I assume?"

The elf laughed and nodded, elated that her friend was back intact. "Come on," she said, standing up and making her way to the edge of the ops booth's roof. "Let's go stop that crazy centaur once and for all."

 **A/N: Before anyone asks, no I'm not going to neglect to show the Butlers take on Natalya. I've been excited for that since day 1 and it should be next chapter, alongside the start of the battle of Tara. With that in mind, things are going to get darker before they get lighter I'm afraid.**

 **Review? Please? It means the world :)**

 **-Kio**


	24. Immortalized

**Disclaimer: This chapter contains scenes of cruelty and extreme violence that some readers may find upsetting. Reader discretion is advised.**

 **A/N: We finally get to learn a little about who Natalya actually is and why she is special. Also, some other things happen. Those were... difficult to write. I'll leave it at that. I hope you enjoy, even though "enjoy" might not be the best word to use.**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 24;**

 **Nebula Facility, South-eastern France**

Natalya calmly stepped out into the open. She looked exactly as she did when Holly had first seen her, stunning and wrapped in skin-tight black combat gear, twin swords strapped to her back. She wore the same disinterested look of contempt, as though the group assembled before her wasn't really worth anything as valuable as her attention.

Juliet aimed her neutrino quickly and squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened. Natalya's pretty features rearranged themselves into a cocky smile. She reached behind her and drew her swords, giving one of them an experimental twirl.

Artemis was the first to figure it out. "Some kind of localized EMP," he explained quickly. "All electronic systems within range will have been permanently disabled."

Natalya started slowly advancing on the group, her smile growing wider. "Smart Mud Boy."

Juliet saw Holly frown out of the corner of her eye, but all her focus was on the approaching assassin. It wasn't hard to remember the pain Natalya had left her in; she was going to make the cocky Russian girl pay for that.

Her brother's voice cut through her vengeful thoughts and brought her back to reality. "You were right," he shouted, directing his words at Holly and Artemis. "We don't have time for this. Go and find Amber. Stop her." Butler indicated Natalya. "We'll deal with this."

Natalya stopped advancing, calmly appraising the Butlers. The pair stared back, sizing up their adversary. Butler stooped to pick up a fallen length of metal pipe from the debris that littered the fort. It wasn't ideal, but it was at least a weapon, and it was longer than either of Natalya's swords. Juliet drew the energy sword she had retrieved from the stolen LEP shuttle; its augmentations had been disabled by the EMP, but the blade remained more than sharp enough to kill in its own right.

For a few moments, nobody moved. Butler addressed his sister, but his eyes never left Natalya's face.

"Nothing silly," he said, but he needn't have. Juliet had experienced what Natalya was capable of first hand. Normally she might like to fight stylishly for an imagined audience, but there was no way she was going to risk giving the Russian girl even the slightest chance to capitalize on.

"It hurt, you know," she told Natalya conversationally. "What you did before. I'm going to get you back for that."

Her opponent's already present smile widened. "There's plenty more where that came from."

"You don't seriously think you have a chance against both of us, do you?" Juliet responded, pretending to sound indignant. "Besides, I'm ready for you this time."

Natalya laughed, but her eyes hardened. "I doubt it, _child_." She took a step forward. The Butlers did the same. They were close to each other now, only a few paces away.

"Together?" Butler muttered to his sister. Juliet gave an almost imperceptible nod in response. They prepared to strike, subtly shifting into combat stances and readying their weapons.

Butler's movements were perfect. Unreadable. Juliet's were _almost_ perfect. _Almost_ unreadable. But the tiniest – virtually invisible - narrowing of the eyes gave away the exact moment she was about to strike.

Natalya was on them in a heartbeat, one sword pre-emptively blocking Butler, the other directed at Juliet's throat with shocking force. She had timed her attack perfectly, catching Juliet just slightly off balance as she prepared her own strike. Though Juliet was able to successfully parry the blow, the sheer strength of the impact drove her back.

Butler was quick to his sister's defense, launching a series of vicious strikes with his pipe. Or at least, he tried to. The Russian girl easily blocked the first swing with one sword and countered with the other, forcing Butler to dodge back to avoid losing his head. Forcing him another step away from his sister. Natalya lunged forward, taking advantage of the space to launch a proper attack. Despite her blinding speed, Butler managed to react in time, raising the pipe to deflect the sword.

It was very rare that Butler was unprepared for something, but he was stunned by the power behind the swing. The impact as metal met metal shook his grip and he just barely managed to keep hold of the pipe. Juliet rushed forward to try and rejoin the fight, but he caught her eye, trying to indicate that she should keep her distance.

Butler backed up, regaining his composure and rejoining with his sister. His stare was locked onto Natalya and he was feeling something he hadn't felt for a long time. Uncertainty.

 _Just who the Hell actually are you?_ The girl before him was slight, but she hit just as hard as the seven-foot man mountain had in his prime. Maybe harder.

Not keen on giving her opponents a chance to come up with any kind of plan, Natalya launched another offensive. She may have been confident, but even she knew that she would struggle to beat them two against one – her best chance to drive them apart and find herself two separate duels that she could win.

She dived towards Butler, but ducked low at the last minute and targeted Juliet instead. The pipe sailed over her head and both her swords made contact with Juliet's own blade, sending sparks flying and pushing the Butler sibling back once again. As before, Natalya spun immediately to focus on her other opponent, but this time the big man was ready. She struck fast but he countered just as quickly, stepping forward and denying her the space to make use of her strength.

Juliet wasted no time in rejoining the fight this time, feinting high at Natalya's neck but lowering her swing at the last moment. Her attention now divided, the Russian girl was successfully tricked into ducking straight into the blade. Only inhuman reaction times saved her, allowing her to parry just a split second before she lost her head. Even so, the counter was clumsy and awkward, and only barely managed to keep her alive.

While their opponent was focused on keeping Juliet at bay, Butler put all of his strength into a single swing straight at the Russian girl's head. Natalya blocked it with her one of her swords without even looking. The power of the impact should have sent the blade spinning out of her hand, but her grip on the hilt showed no signs of weakening. For a moment, Butler was too shocked to respond. It was only a split second, but it was enough.

Natalya took full advantage of the respite to reset her stance and prepare for the onslaught she knew was imminent. The Butlers didn't disappoint her.

They moved forward together, experienced enough at fighting alongside each other to know exactly what the other was going to do. They had figured out what Natalya was trying to do now; all they had to do keep each other safe and prevent her from dividing them and the Russian girl wouldn't be able to bring them down.

They struck in perfect sync, Butler going low, Juliet going high. Natalya easily blocked one blow with each of her swords, but her adversaries followed up immediately with another pair of swings. Then another. And another. Natalya backed up, fighting ferociously but unable to find a window of opportunity to counterattack.

Juliet smiled with immense satisfaction as she noticed the expression forming on the Russian girl's pretty face. Surprise. She wasn't used to being driven back. She was used to crushing anyone or anything that dared to stand in her way.

 _I wonder what it's like realizing that you're out of your depth for the first time,_ Juliet mused, but then her thoughts turned spiteful as she carried on fighting. Y _ou won't be so pretty after the end of today, and_ you _won't have the advantage of fairy magic to heal it._

Natalya's guard was immaculate. She spun and danced, repelling every attack launched against her, but no matter how hard she tried, there was no weakness in the Butlers' onslaught. She needed to take control of the fight, but she was stuck on the defensive.

She desperately searched for the gap she could take advantage of to turn the fight around, but it wouldn't present itself. The Butlers were too good. Now that they had an idea of how Natalya moved, they simply refused to give her an opportunity. They fought with a care and precision that she was fundamentally unused to, continuing to force her back.

Juliet stepped forward once again, delivering another strike. Natalya blocked it easily, just as she had the last fifty, but this time she hopped backwards instead of trying to fight back. Already mid-swing, Butler's pipe found empty air where his adversary had stood a second ago. The big man stumbled slightly, trying to maintain his balance.

Sensing her chance, Natalya suddenly lunged forward, driving both her blades at Juliet with incredible ferocity. Juliet parried the first and dodged the second, but instead of doing as she had before and letting up the pressure, she pushed forward and threw a punch with her free hand, catching the side of Natalya's head.

The Russian girl hissed as she staggered back and spat on the ground. She dived towards Juliet with both of her swords up, but in her sudden anger she had neglected to take her other adversary into account. Butler was already in position to defend his sister, meeting Natalya's swords with his pipe while she was in mid-air.

* * *

 **Nebula Facility Lower Level, South-eastern France**

Holly dropped the short distance from the roof and turned to survey the ops booth itself. Artemis's descent wasn't quite as graceful, but at least he didn't break anything this time. Together they appraised the solid titanium cube.

"I'm guessing you're going to want to get in there somehow?" said Holly, knowing the answer but not looking forward hearing it.

Artemis nodded. He was finding it easier to avoid speaking where possible, focusing his energy on figuring out how to save the world rather than worrying about assembling sentences of a specific length.

Holly looked around at the wide variety of interesting weaponry that surrounded them, then at her now useless neutrino.

"We're in a weapons factory," she said. "I might as well grab something with a little firepower. Maybe there's even something that can blow a hole in Amber's little stronghold."

Artemis nodded again, though he doubted it. If Amber's ops booth was anything like Foaly's, little short of a nuclear warhead would pierce its armor casing. As Holly wondered off in search of a firearm she liked, Artemis stepped towards the ops booth's blast doors. To one side there was a small console.

 _We might not be able to brute force our way in,_ he thought, _but maybe I can hack my way in._

"D'Arvit!" came a shout from behind him. He turned to see Holly tossing aside some kind of modified plasma rifle. "It won't accept my DNA."

"Of course it won't," said another voice. "Just how stupid do you think I am?"

Artemis spun around again. A section of the wall of the ops booth had turned transparent, showing Amber calmly watching them from within the safety of her miniature stronghold. Holly immediately raised her neutrino and squeezed the trigger, only remembering that it was disabled after it had failed to fire.

Amber squealed with malicious laughter. It wasn't an attractive sound. "Oh, silly Holly. You won't get any use from that thing once it's been touched by one of my EMPs. Not that it matters," she added, tapping the still solid window in front of her for effect. "This window is just as impenetrable as any of the walls."

"You must realize that your plan won't work," Holly said, walking back to Artemis's side. "We've already informed Police Plaza. Even if you succeed, they'll know that everything was orchestrated by you. You won't be able to spark war."

The centaur looked thoroughly put out that Holly had dared to question her supposedly perfect plan. "You think that matters, you stupid little elf? Let me explain this to you: _it doesn't._ The LEP can't touch me. They will have no evidence to implicate me, and even if they did, and I would simply brush them aside. While our already weak government is crippled by a war they were unable to avoid, I will step into their place. I will be _strong_. I will make peace. I will be _adored_!"

Holly shook her in disgust. Artemis had told her how insane Amber was, but no words could really do the centaur justice. "You sick, twisted…" she began, but Amber cut her off.

"Your words mean nothing!" she shouted maniacally, tapping the window again to underline her point. "You can't stop me." The insane centaur's eyes suddenly lit up, and she turned her attention to the console in front of her, frantically entering commands that Holly couldn't see. Once she was done she turned her gaze to Artemis and cackled. "I _was_ planning to wait until tomorrow, but since you're here, I don't see why we can't start early."

Artemis felt dread sweep over him.

"Start what early?" Holly asked before he had a chance.

Amber smiled viciously. "The launches, of course!" she explained, her voice gleeful. "In fifteen minutes-" she glanced at the display in front of her "-sorry, in _fourteen-and-a-half_ minutes a pre-emptive strike of modified bio-bombs will be launched on behalf of the LEP. Humanity won't stand a chance; the casualty rate should be at least five hundred million. When I show them that the People were responsible, they're going to kill every fairy they can get their hands on!"

Holly didn't respond. _Five hundred million? How can she even contemplate this…?_ She felt ill. Amber's mind was sick, there was no other way to describe it. So far broken that nothing could hope to save it.

Amber continued ranting, but Artemis ignored her, instead making his way to the ops booth entrance. The boy took out his modified fairy phone and connected it to the door controls via the omnisensor.

Holly looked momentarily excited. "Can you hack your way in?"

Artemis couldn't bring himself to look at his friend. "Probably not," he said simply. "The most likely outcome is that that _freak_ successfully decimates my species and brings about a war that will cost billions of lives. We will probably both die here. But right now, I have fourteen minutes with which to at least try and stop that, so that is what I'm going to do."

This notion seemed to entertain Amber enormously. "Oh, how _admirable_. Admirable, but hopeless. You couldn't break my security in a thousand years, let alone a few minutes. And even if you did, you wouldn't be able to cancel the launches. You see, there isn't actually an abort option in the launch program - now that they're set, not even I could stop them. Oh and by the way, since you didn't seem to notice, there are DNA canons positioned all over the ceiling of this facility that I control from in here. I can stun both of you any time I want!"

Holly looked dejectedly upwards, her eyes drawn to the sinister little cannons mounted every ten meters or so. If Amber gave the order, she and Artemis would be unconscious before they could even say goodbye to each other. She looked to her friend, working with his back to her, and then to her adversary, staring back with an insane hatred in her eyes.

"Why not do it then?" she asked quietly. "Are you trying to make us suffer?"

Amber clapped her hands. "Of course I am! And I can see that it's working. Isn't this fun?" It was obvious from Holly's expression that the elf didn't agree, but that didn't seem to bother Amber. "You can't hope to achieve anything, so why deprive myself of this entertainment?"

Holly's anger was growing. She was finally face to face with the person responsible for the steady decay of her life in recent weeks. All the pain Amber had caused her. All the rage. All the hatred.

Amber had taken trouble. She had ordered Holly's own torture, and she had hurt Artemis. Her actions had almost destroyed Holly's friendship with Artemis. Normally the elf was good at restraining herself, but every time Amber laughed at her it got a little bit harder.

"I could always kill little Arty and see how it affects you," mused Amber.

"I will kill you if you touch him," Holly said immediately, real fury in her voice. She wasn't sure where the words had come from, but they felt right. More right than anything else had for a long time. She expected the obviously hollow threat to amuse Amber, but the centaur was infuriated.

"How dare you threaten me?" she raged. "Me! I am like a god compared to you pathetic creatures!"

Holly shook her head. "No," she said, her voice dripping hatred. "You are _nothing_."

"How dare you?" shouted Amber again. "I will be the greatest person ever to leave a mark on this world. I will secure a legacy that will never die; I will be immortalized in history!" The centaur's manic eyes flicked to one of the screens in the ops booth. A nasty smile formed on her lips. "It seems that in a few moments Tara is going to become the site of the greatest massacre in the history of the People. Tell me, Holly Short, do you have anyone you care about celebrating there tonight? Friends, perhaps, or family?"

Holly kept her expression unreadable, but she couldn't help but think of Galadhon - she had grown somewhat fond of the strike team captain. She didn't know what Amber was sending to Tara, but judging by what she had already shown herself capable of, Holly didn't fancy the LEP defenders' chances.

"Make no mistake, if you do, they _will_ die," Amber continued. "It took me a while to finish refining them, but I have created the perfect agents of war. They will serve me well in the new world I will forge after they do their duty today. Equipped with human bomb-disposal suits modified to withstand neutrino beams, anti-shield filters and human machine guns, they are almost indestructible. Tara's annihilation will be unavoidable. I call them the Undying."

* * *

 **Hill of Tara, Ireland**

Gregor Campbell was an old gnome, living out his last few years as a member of the Lower Elements Police before retirement in relative comfort, guarding Tara. He normally stayed in the shuttle port installation, but tonight he had been drafted to help oversee the winter solstice celebrations. It was a non-job, really; the Mud People still had no idea that the fairies even existed, so the only action he was likely to get was the odd human tourist wondering a bit too near to the hill of Tara.

Gregor paused his patrol and surveyed the throngs of joyful fairies, his helmet filters bypassing their shields. There were at least a hundred – many them children - all taking full advantage of the rare opportunity to enjoy a surface trip. He smiled, remembering the fun he had had as a child on such occasions. It had been a different time then, of course. The humans were still living in the mud then.

He was interrupted from his reminiscing by the distant sound of engines. Though he initially dismissed them, they continued to grow louder. And closer. Grudgingly, he resigned himself to investigating the source of the noise. It was probably nothing, but he supposed he wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't at least check. He may have been old, but he had always made a point of doing his duty, and he didn't plan to change that now.

Muttering to himself about the inconvenience of it all, Gregor trudged in the direction of the sound. What he saw was definitely not nothing. As he approached, five unmarked vans with blacked out windows were stopping at the side of the nearby road. The doors were opened from within and figures began jumping out into the night. Figures that moved with purpose. Figures clad in bulky armor.

"Anti-ordnance suit," said an automated voice in his ear. "Used by humans to render the defusing of explosives safer. Occasionally used in combat. The armor itself can withstand incredible force."

It was difficult not to feel like something was wrong. Confident in his shield, Gregor crept forward, keen to get a closer look at the men before reporting the suspicious activity.

As he advanced, the men started carrying crates of equipment out of the vans and opening them up, revealing stacks of weaponry. Once again, Gregor's helmet automatically picked out the weapons and identified them for him.

"M249. Human light machine gun; 5.56mm rounds. High rate of fire and accuracy. The LEP has classified this weapon as extremely dangerousto fairies. Do not engage."

Gregor watched in horror as the humans began lifting out the huge belt-fed machine guns and loading them. This was wrong. Very, very wrong. But before he could even give it any thought, one the men began walking directly towards him.

 _He can't see me,_ he thought desperately, knowing that he should do something – radio for help, retreat, anything – but too petrified to move. _I'm shielded, he can't see me. Please let him not be able to see me._

Unlike the other humans, the one steadily advancing on Gregor had yet to don the helmet that came alongside his armor, allowing the terrified gnome to see his eyes. They were cold, unyielding. They showed no emotion as the man drew an enormous handgun and aimed it right at Gregor's head.

"Desert Eagle. Human side-arm; .50cal. High caliber, armor piercing bullets can penetrate most materials, including all LEP uniforms currently in use. The LEP has classified this weapon as extremely dangerousto fairies. Do not engage."

The shot echoed out, deafening and terrible. The old gnome slumped, spider web cracks spreading out from a single hole in his blood splattered visor.

"Scratch one fairy."

* * *

The Undying finished kitting out and began making their way towards the hill of Tara. Though there was no doubt in their minds that the shot would have been heard by the fairies, they weren't worried. Perhaps any other LEP officers would have been alerted to the danger and attempted to prepare, but their weapons would be of little use. And the civilians might be confused – concerned, even – but nothing more. They would not try to flee. Not yet, at least.

As they approached the sacred fairy site, the Undying began spreading out, forming a deadly horseshoe shape.

They were met by the other LEP officers on the hill's slopes, weapons up and shields on, tipped off by the death of their colleague. The firefight lasted less than five seconds. Able to see straight through the fairy shields thanks to Amber, the Undying simply opened fire, tearing the approaching force apart before they even got a shot off. The armored juggernauts didn't even break their stride.

The sound of automatic gunfire was unmistakable to the fairies atop Tara. Panic spread through the crowd like wildfire. Sprites took to the air but were picked out of the sky moments later. Children screamed for their parents as they were cut down. A few ambitious fairies tried to run at their attackers, but they only managed to cover a few meters before they too fell. Annihilation was everywhere.

There was no time. There was no hope. There was only death. And then nothing.

The terrible silence that followed was punctuated only by the odd survivor's scream of pain, and the ensuing gunshot that ended their suffering. The scene would surely have sickened anyone it right to their core, but it seemed that the Undying had little regard for such things.

"Section Alpha clear," announced the squad leader monotonously, apparently unfazed by the slaughter he had just helped enact. "Proceed to section Bravo."

Not bothering to glance back at their handiwork, the Undying set off for the Tara shuttle port, weapons ready.

* * *

 **Nebula Facility Upper Level, South-eastern France**

Butler's swing knocked Natalya straight out of the air. The Russian landed hard and rolled back away from her opponents before they could capitalize, finding her feet again with remarkable speed. Juliet wasn't sure how Natalya had managed to keep hold of both blades during her fall, but it seemed that somehow she had.

The Russian girl crouched catlike with a sword clutched in each hand, waiting for them to engage. She was cornered now, forced back until there was no space left into which she could retreat. Baring her teeth, she steeled herself. It was now or never.

The Butlers were cautious as they advanced, wary of the cornered animal trying to make a sudden break for it. As it turned out, their caution was warranted. But instead of lunging towards them as they expected her to, Natalya turned around and sprinted the last few meters to the wall behind her.

At the last moment before colliding with it, she jumped, tucking her legs into her chest and pointing her feet ahead of her; they met the wall and already she was running again, only this time it was vertically. Once she was about half way up, she launched herself backwards, flying straight towards an open-mouthed Juliet with two swords aimed at her throat.

Juliet Butler was fast. Extraordinarily fast. Anyone else, even her brother, would be dead, but she actually managed to deflect the incoming blades. The mid-air kick that followed them, however, proved too much, smashing into her face with shocking force. Together with her assailant, she was hurled to the ground.

Butler began to rush towards his sister, but Natalya was the first of the two women the find her feet. She turned her gaze to Juliet's fallen form, desperately trying to rise but groaning in pain. Natalya raised one of her swords.

Butler ran as fast as he ever had. He was only about five meters away now. Four. Now three. Two…

Natalya spun at the last moment, and only did the bodyguard realize that desperation to reach his sister had clouded his judgement. Natalya had been baiting him in.

Time seemed to slow; a flurry of thoughts passed through Butler's head in the split second before the two made contact. He knew he couldn't stop now – his momentum would carry him straight into her even if he tried to. He knew that she would try and deal a killing blow, but he also knew that, considering the speed with which he was moving and the speed with which Natalya could strike, he wouldn't have time to respond.

 _My only chance is to guess. Guess where she will strike and pre-emptively block._ Perhaps Artemis could figure out all the mind games and work out where she would strike, but all Butler could do was go with his gut and hope. And that was exactly he did.

Natalya's sword, swinging straight at the bodyguard's neck, met the pipe with an earsplitting clang of metal on metal. It didn't take Butler's head. Natalya's eyes didn't have time to widen as she realized that she had horribly miscalculated the implications of allowing three-hundred pounds of muscle to charge full-tilt at her now that she had failed to deliver the fatal blow.

The impact simply launched Natalya; she exploded backwards as if hit by a small truck. In fairness, she may as well have been. It took her longer to pick herself up this time and it was clear that, while not critically so, she was hurt. Butler didn't give her time to recover. He didn't even give her time to take a breath. He was on her immediately, forcing her back with a furious onslaught, anger lending strength to his strikes. Few people had ever succeeded in hurting his baby sister, and none had lived to tell the tale. He didn't intend to break that record today.

Natalya countered and parried, dancing around Butler's pipe but still seeming to be on the defensive. She gave ground quickly. Too quickly.

A look of realization flitted across Butler's face as he put it together in his mind. In his haste, he had left Juliet's side while she was still trying to get up and opted into a duel with Natalya. A one versus one gave her the advantage she had been craving the whole fight.

Natalya smiled, knowing now that Butler understood how much trouble he was in. In a heartbeat, she went from falling back to lunging forward, taking the fight to her adversary. Now that she could focus all her attention on him, Butler was finally able to truly appreciate quite how capable she was.

He fought back hard, but he could feel himself steadily losing the duel. Natalya was too fast, too strong; her twin blades outmaneuvered Butler's crude length of pipe in every exchange. After about a minute of furiously blocking her attacks, Butler could already feel himself begin to tire. He was out of his depth. It felt as though Natalya could end the fight at any time she wanted; she was playing with him, making him dance for his life for the sheer fun of it.

She laughed as she continued to drive him back, delivering blow after blow. Suddenly she pounced forwards, smashing both swords into Butler's pipe with inhuman power. The bodyguard stumbled, struggling for balance. Natalya smiled and followed up, meeting the pipe with one sword and lazily slashing at Butler's now exposed arm with the other. The blade connected, carving a nasty gash into his bicep and making him grunt in pain.

"Hey!"

Natalya turned to see Juliet coming towards her, sword in hand. The Butler sibling's face was bloody but her spirit seemed very much unbroken. Before Natalya could press her advantage against Butler, Juliet was on her, lunging forward and trying to create the necessary space for her brother to recover and get back into the fight.

But while Juliet showed admirable determination, she was still hurt. Angry. Tired. She didn't a chance against the seemingly unstoppable Russian girl. She tried to strike but Natalya was ready. She raised both her swords, crossing them and intercepting Juliet's blade, locking it between her own and launching a brutal kick at Juliet's abdomen.

Juliet doubled up in pain and staggered back, gasping for breath. She was pretty sure at least one rib was broken. Butler bellowed and made to intervene, but Natalya deflected his clumsy lunge easily and counterattacked. Butler did his best but he was exhausted, his focus slipping.

Natalya wasn't bothering to fight intelligently anymore, she just used her unnatural speed and strength to rain down attacks on her adversary. Butler's grip on the pipe slipped and she knocked it from his hands. She kicked savagely at him, sending him to the ground.

Butler looked up the person before standing over him. There was no mercy in Natalya's eyes, a hint of cruel amusement the only emotion in her face. He saw Juliet running towards them of the corner his eye.

"Juliet!" he yelled with his last vestiges of strength. "Leave me; you won't beat her. Go and help Artemis before it's too late!"

But his sister paid no heed to his words, too focused on Natalya to even hear him. She just carried on running, sword ready, desperate to save her brother. She covered the distance quickly, springing at her enemy and swinging her blade at her neck.

Natalya turned calmly. One sword deflected the incoming blade. The other buried itself in Juliet's chest.

For a few seconds, nobody moved. Juliet just stood, immobile, staring in horror the patch of red spreading rapidly from the wound in her chest. She tried to speak, but not words came out. She tried to call out in pain, but there was no air left in her lungs. Her legs gave out, but Natalya kept hold of the sword's hilt, keeping her suspended upright. The now disabled energy sword dropped from Juliet's hand, clattering to the ground with a sound that echoed around the sudden silence.

Eventually, Natalya loosened her grip on the sword, letting Juliet's barely conscious form fall to the ground, the blade still protruding from her chest. Just like that, the spell was broken. Butler let out an animal-like roar, no space left in his head for rational thought. He grabbed the fallen piece of pipe and hurled it at Natalya with staggering force. It wasn't an accurate throw, but Natalya was close and too pre-occupied with Juliet to react in time, so it still found its mark.

The Russian girl stumbled back, crying out in pain. Butler rushed at her with inhuman rage before she could do anything in response, colliding with her once again and sending them both flying. Natalya tried to pick herself as soon as she landed, but she had lost her sword other in the tumble and Butler was faster. His shovel-sized fist connected with her face and sent her staggering, blood flowing freely from her shattered mess of a nose.

Butler picked up the sword she had lost and began slowly advancing on her. Natalya got to her feet but, now unarmed, could do nothing more than watch Butler as he approached.

"Make no mistake," he growled, not masking the hatred in his voice. "You _will_ die. I don't care how long it takes. I won't rest until your body _burns_."

"You still think you can beat me?" Natalya responded, apparently unfazed by the threat.

"I know what you're capable of now," countered Butler.

Natalya gave a hollow laugh. "Not even Amber knows what I am truly capable of." She raised a hand to her face, a single blue spark forming in her palm. She pressed her hand against her smashed nose, wincing at the contact. When she took her hand away a moment later, her features were as flawless as they had been before the fight.

Butler simply stood there, staring, too stunned to do much of anything. "That… that isn't possible…" he managed. "How?"

Natalya smiled. "You didn't seriously think I was just any old _human-"_ she spat the word disdainfully "-did you?" She flexed her arm. "The People aren't actually very creative with magic. It's basically just a form of energy – I'm sure Artemis explained that to you – and yet the only application they seem to have for it is vibrating, healing and manipulating humans."

Butler carried on staring at her, not particularly interested in what she was saying but trying to adjust to the revelation that his adversary had access to magic. _Magic!_

"It's a pity, really, that Artemis lost his magic," Natalya continued. A strange appearing in her eye, bit it was gone a moment later. Butler wondered if he had imagined it. "A mind like his could have figured out all sorts of extraordinary possibilities. You can do almost anything with magic if you know how; strength, speed, awareness… and since you mentioned burning…"

A flame flickered to life in the Russian girl's palm, growing quickly into a fireball. She drew back her arm and hurled the miniature inferno at Butler. He dived out of the way, but she pounced on him before he could regain his balance, knocking him back down to the ground. He tried to raise her sword but she brutally stamped on his wrist, forcing him to relinquish his grip on the hilt.

She reached down and grabbed the now unarmed manservant, lifting him with both hands and slamming him with as much force as she could muster into a nearby pillar. The last remnants of resistance abandoned Butler. Again she slammed him into the pillar. It cracked slightly. Satisfied, she tossed the bodyguard's barely conscious form aside. Neither Butler was actually dead, not quite yet at least, but it wouldn't be long both drew their last breaths.

Natalya turned her back on her fallen adversaries and shifted her gaze to one of the top corners of the room. She couldn't see the cam-foil covered camera, but she knew it was there. She also knew at some point, Amber would review the footage of her fight with the Butlers and see her be forced to reveal her magic. It was a shame, really; she hadn't wanted to kill the centaur.

Shaking her head in mild frustration, she set off to find her mistress, pausing only to retrieve one of her swords on her way.

 **A/N: I can't quite believe I actually did this. I'm sorry. All I can say is that it's always darkest just before the dawn. And this chapter was pretty dark. Stick with it and see what happens in the end. There may yet be hope.**

 **It was really hard writing the fight between Natalya and the Butlers, so I hope I did OK there. Speaking of which, if Artemis can steal magic, then it follows that another human could obtain it as well. He even posits that humans used to have magic of their own once upon a time.**

 **I also hope that Tara wasn't too far. Actually, who am I kidding? There's no such thing as _too_ far... anyway, please review! Tell me I'm evil or something ;)**

 **-Kio**


	25. Indestructible

**A/N: I continue to be very grateful for all of the support this story has received, so another thanks to everyone who reviews :)**

 **This chapter is mostly the battle of Tara.**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 25;**

 **Tara Shuttle Port, Ireland**

The atmosphere among the fairy reinforcements was bleak as their transport shuttle pulled into Tara. Few had spoken more than the odd word on the journey. One thing was clear: today they weren't police officers. They were soldiers. And there were going to be casualties.

As soon as the shuttle had docked, they began getting off, Galadhon barking orders. The sight of a large group of LEP personnel, armed to the teeth with as much weaponry as they could carry, was understandably unsettling to the crowds of civilians waiting in the shuttle port. The two strike team captains wasted no time in ordering full evacuation

A few passengers started complaining that they had had to wait two days for a surface flight and insisting that they weren't going back to Haven until they had been outside, but they desisted once Galadhon made it clear that this was _not_ a drill and that anyone not fully co-operating would be stunned and thrown into the hold of an evac shuttle.

The LEP officers on duty looked terrified, but they did as asked and started organizing the evacuation. It was immediately obvious, however, that it would be time consuming to clear so many people from the port. Some would be saved, but if Amber's assassins got in there would be still be hundreds more casualties.

Galadhon called the LEP supervisor to him. "Get as many people out of here as fast as you possibly can," he said quietly. "I don't care about regulations; I don't care if you have to cram them onto shuttles like cattle. Just get them out." He paused and took a breath, clearly uncomfortable. "There might be humans coming." The supervisor visibly paled. "If they get in, you self-destruct the port. It doesn't matter how many civilians there still are, you do it anyway. We cannot risk discovery. Do you understand?"

The supervisor gave a scared nod.

"Good," said Galadhon, turning his attention to his troops. "Storm! Wraith! With me. Let's move."

Even as the two strike teams exited the shuttle port to protect the hill of Tara, they were greeted by the distant but unmistakable sound of automatic gunfire. The fairies looked at each other, confused. Afraid. The hill was too far for them to hear the screams, but they all knew they were there. A few of the more impulsive fairies made to go and help, but Galadhon called them back, his face a grim mask of determination. It sickened him, but he knew the call he had to make.

"No," he said simply, knowing that he would blame himself for every dead fairy up on the hill. If he survived, that was. "We're too late. If we try and support, we'll just be throwing our lives away."

"You want us to just them die?" challenged a member of Wraith, visibly furious at the suggestion. Several others made sounds of agreement.

"We are the only line of defence! We die, the shuttle port falls. Everyone in there dies. The People are revealed. Is that what you want?"

No-one replied. It was clear that while they didn't want that, they still weren't happy about sitting back while their kind were slaughtered.

"You don't have to like it," insisted Galadhon, horribly aware that if he lost control over them now, there was no hope at all of saving the shuttle port. "I don't like it. But today we are soldiers. We fight not for ourselves, not for our families or our friends, but for the People. And that means making hard decisions. We can't save everyone, but we have a slim chance of saving those still in the port. I'll be damned if I'm going to squander that chance."

He looked around at the other fairies, unable to see their expressions through their helmets but knowing that they were hostile. Knowing that they were staring back with anger in their eyes. Before anyone could challenge him, however, the last rattles of gunfire died out. For a moment, there was silence.

"They'll be coming towards us," announced Galadhon. "Everyone, on m me. We'll ambush them at the McGraney farm. Spread out, assume defensive positions. Forget your shields, they won't work against these guys. Save your magic."

The fairies did as they were told, their resistance to Galadhon's leadership crumbling in the face of immediate combat. Once they were near the farm they deactivated their shields and dug in, finding cover aplenty in the uneven ground.

"Standby," said Galadhon into his helmet mic. "Engage on my mark."

A few moments later, the line of menacing silhouettes emerged from the other side of the farm. Bulky and cradling their machine guns, the Undying strode out of the night and towards the farm with sinister purpose.

Awoken already by what they had probably assumed to be fireworks, the McGraney family came out of their house to investigate the figures approaching their land. For centuries, the family and the fairy people had enjoyed a symbiotic relationship. The McGraneys were cut down by the Undying before they even had a chance to call out.

"Standby," said Galadhon, sensing how on edge his troops were. "They might be able to see through shields, but we're still well hidden. Hold your fire."

Galadhon carefully lined up the nearest human in the sights of his plasma rifle and flicked the power up to maximum. He couldn't see the man's face through his armoured helmet, but he seemed unaware. The elfin captain waited until the Undying had made it onto the farm, waited for the perfect moment to engage.

"Weapons free!" he shouted, and immediately the night was lit up with blasts from neutrinos and plasma rifles. As soon as he had spoken, Galadhon squeezed the trigger of his own plasma rifle and watched in satisfaction as the stream of energy struck the man-mountain straight in the chest. He watched in satisfaction as the human staggered and went down, energy arcing around his huge armoured suit. He watched in horror as the human got up again and shook off what should have been more than fatal, raising his weapon to return fire.

Galadhon ducked as bullets sprayed over his head. All over the farm, similar things were happening. Even on their highest settings, neutrinos only seemed to incapacitate the Undying for a few seconds, and the plasma rifles weren't much more effective.

 _D'Arvit! What in Frond's name is that armour?_ Galadhon thought desperately, popping up again and loosing off a few shots. Sharp, elfin eyes immediately noticed that a few of the Undying who had been hit with several simultaneous bursts weren't getting up yet.

"Focus fire!" he yelled into his helmet mic. "Mark targets and hit them all at once!"

The fairies' comms were instantly filled with attempts to communicate. Some of the nearer Undying were outlined in red in Galadhon's helmet feed and labelled as _marked by teammate_. A few more of the humans went down under the sheer weight of fire, but the first ones to be knocked down were already getting up again.

 _D'Arvit!_ thought Galadhon again, aware that things were not exactly proceeding as planned. Reaching down to his belt, the elf grabbed a plasma grenade and switched it to its "sticky"setting before pressing in the activation mechanism.

"Plasma grenade is now live," said an automated voice in his ear, barely audible above the frantic chatter of combat. Information was being exchanged between the fairies quickly, but it didn't seem to be helping them very much.

"-they keep coming-"

"-they're too close to me, I need help!-"

"-Wraith Two is hit; I need a warlock-"

"-Storm Seven is K.I.A-"

The Undying kept up their approach, spraying their machine guns wildly. They couldn't pick out individual targets, but their bullets were still claiming lives. Fairies were becoming more reluctant to peek out of cover to return fire for every one of their comrades that fell.

Galadhon clutched his grenade, waiting patiently as the nearest Undying strode towards him. When the human monster was only about ten meters away, the elf leant out of cover and hurled the little blue sphere straight him. It landed on his shoulder and stuck to it, detonating moments later in a spectacular purple explosion. The man's armour – seemingly indestructible as it was – remained at least mostly intact, but the man himself was launched back several meters and landed in an ugly heap, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles. He didn't get up.

"Use explosives!" Galadhon yelled immediately to his comrades, but he needn't have. The other fairies had seen his handiwork and were already priming grenades of their own.

Within the space of only a few seconds, several more Undying had found themselves the victims of similar strategies. The plasma grenades that stuck to their opponents were invariably fatal, and those that simply landed nearby still seemed to injure the Undying.

"Not so invulnerable now, are we?" muttered Galadhon as he watched the unfolding carnage. But even though they were finally able to begin thinning out their opponent's numbers, far more crucial was the psychological effect on the other Undying. Now that it was clear that the fairies possessed weapons capable of actually killing them, they began to feel very exposed. All of a sudden, they were mortal. And mortal men don't tend to be quite so cavalier in combat.

Despite the fact that the situation looked a lot better than it had a minute ago, Galadhon was still concerned. Although it was good that the Undying, afraid of getting close enough to risk getting a grenade stuck to them, were hanging back more instead of simply overrunning the fairies, it wasn't like they didn't still have the upper hand. And the fairies didn't exactly have unlimited ordnance.

"Use your explosives sparingly - save them for guaranteed kills," he ordered. "Hold your positions and stay alive. Play the long game. Our priority is to keep them at bay."

 _Keep them at bay. Defend the shuttle port. For how long?_ he couldn't help asking himself. _Tara may be remote, but this isn't exactly subtle. What happens when someone notices and the human authorities turn up?_

He didn't have an answer to that question. In fact, he didn't have an answer for quite a lot of questions, the most pressing of which was how in Frond's name they were going to win this fight. He wasn't a tactician. He wasn't a planner. He was a soldier.

 _One thing at a time_ , he told himself. _If you're still alive when the human police – or, more likely, army - arrive, you can figure it out then. Until then, you're a soldier - do what you do best. Fight. And don't die._

Something streaked past him, shaking him from his thoughts and striking one of the armoured humans square in the chest. The ensuing explosion shook the earth. No longer able to see the person it had hit after the debris cleared, it took Galadhon a moment to realize that that was because he wasn't there anymore. More specifically, he wasn't _whole_ anymore.

The elf gave a grim smile. He hadn't seen anyone bring any plasma rockets, but now that he thought about it, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. They had pretty much completely raided every restricted weapon the LEP had available. If he survived this, he'd be sure to tell Foaly that some of his previously untested weaponry did everything it was meant to and then some.

As the battle raged, the Undying began to change their tactics. Visibility was poor and the fairies had good cover, so picking off individual targets wasn't an option. After initially being scared off by the revelation of the effectiveness of the plasma grenades, they too had dug in and attempted to engage in a pitched firefight. There were casualties on both sides. Though this trade in kills favoured the superior numbers of the Undying, it was slow, and the human menaces had been told that they needed to complete their objectives as quickly as possible. Getting bogged down on the McGraney farm certainly wasn't part of the plan.

And so they had regrouped and adopted a new strategy. Using the sustained-fire capability of their machine guns, roughly half of the Undying provided "suppressing fire" for the other half, maintaining a constant barrage on the LEP positions and punishing anyone audacious enough to peek out and throw a grenade. Pinned down by the sheer weight of fire, the fairies were unable to fight back as the rest of the Undying advanced on them as one.

Galadhon tried desperately to see what was going on, but every time he started to poke his head out of cover it was almost torn off. He was nevertheless able to catch a glimpse of the oncoming force; a solid wall of armour clad killers, only now about fifteen meters away from him, it was a sight that chilled his blood. Now that they were close, the approaching Undying also opened fire, spraying bullets towards the LEP positions as they strode towards them.

Judging by the calls that were starting to be made via the LEP comms, Galadhon wasn't the only one to notice.

"-D'Arvit, they're too close-"

"-I can't get a clear shot-"

"-I'm pinned down-"

"-We're going to be overwhelmed-"

"-It's no use-"

Out of the corner of his eye, Galadhon saw a pair of fairies step out of cover, grenades in hand, no doubt realizing that without some such heroics, there was little hope for the LEP forces.

One was dead before he could even arm his grenade. The other fell less than second later, mid throw. The little blue ball slipped from his hand and began rolling away from his corpse. The elf engulfed in the resultant explosion didn't even have time to scream as body was torn apart.

Panic set into some primal part of Galadhon's brain that hadn't seen use for centuries. _This is it,_ he thought, _there's no hope._ He gripped his rifle, but even if it hadn't been useless against the monsters beating on his door, he doubted he would have the energy to use it. His hands shook. The others were right – they were going to be overwhelmed. They were going to die.

The sound of machine gun fire was louder now, only a few meters away. He could even hear the heavy thuds as the armoured behemoths stepped towards him. He knew he should stand up, at least try and fight, but his body wouldn't obey him.

Something rolled past him. A little metal canister with LEP markings. And then the world erupted into brilliant light.

Thanks to the automated counter-measures incorporated into his helmet, Galadhon was barely effected. _Lightning Strike_ , said a tiny voice of reason in the back of his head as his vision cleared. He hadn't bothered bringing any of the monstrous little stun-grenades, but apparently someone had. _Note to self: find out whoever threw that and make sure they receive every commendation the LEP offers, and maybe a few that it doesn't._

In an instant, Galadhon was back to his old self, already ashamed at himself for daring to consider giving up.

 _You're a servant of the People,_ he told himself angrily. _You don't stop. You don't give up. You fight to your last breath._

Given strength by his newfound resolve, Galadhon peeked out of cover to assess the situation. The Undying were staggering back, but, unlike usual victims of the Lightning Strike, did not seem to have been neutralized by the sensory assault. Normally you could count on a Lightning Strike to buy you at least sixty seconds. Today, probably as a result of protective systems in the human's helmets, it looked like they would be lucky to get ten. The Undying were already recovering and raising their weapons for a renewed assault.

"If anyone has another one, throw it now!" yelled Galadhon urgently. It was clear to him now that their current position was untenable – they would have to retreat and regroup. Lightning Strikes was likely to be the only things that could cover such an exit. Sure enough, another of the little cylinders sailed past him and again sent the Undying reeling.

"Fall back!" he shouted. "We regroup outside the shuttle port."

Some of the fairies began retreating immediately, others moved forward with weapons raised, intent on covering their teammates from the Undying that had hung back and remained largely unaffected by the Lightning Strike. A few began dragging injured comrades from their refuges. It was clear that no-one had any magic left; every drop had been used by fairies either healing themselves or fallen friends.

Galadhon supposed that, in that moment, his heart broke. He didn't want to make the call that he knew was necessary. In fact, he would far rather face all the Undying alone than say those words. But it was necessary, and today was a day on which you did whatever was necessary. Whatever the cost.

"Leave the wounded," he said, barely able to keep his voice from breaking. "We'll never make it with them."

What appeared to be the final Lightning Strike available to them was deployed, and a series of explosions temporarily lit up the light as the remaining grenades, latched onto various Undying, detonated.

Those fairies that had endured set off at a run for the shuttle port, some clutching half healed wounds and gasping in pain. There were eleven in total. Eleven survivors. More than half of the fairies that had set out from Haven now lay either dead or dying in the freezing mud of the McGraney farm.

There was no talk among the survivors. The sound of gunshots followed them, presumably as the Undying executed any fairy they could find that was still breathing.

Galadhon began frantically trying to raise Haven. K'Azir had made it clear that this was as a black operation, and that meant no official communications, but this surely was an exception. Police Plaza had to be warned that they couldn't hold Amber's forces on the surfaces.

"Haven? Come in!" No response. "D'Arvit." There was no other option that to try and send an emergency message and hope that it got through. "Haven, this is Captain Galadhon of strike team Storm. Human forces are converging on the Tara shuttle port. We have suffered heavy casualties and are unable to contain them. I repeat, we cannot contain them. Tara _will_ fall. Requesting urgent assistance. Galadhon out."

By the time he had finished his message, the survivors had already reached the shuttle port. The speed with which they had arrived was a bitter reminder of how close the Undying were to their target. Though it was camouflaged by various projectors and shields, Foaly's great sky window stretched out beneath their feet, affording any yet to be evacuated fairies in the luggage hall a grim view of their harrowed guardians.

Galadhon looked at each of the others in turn, their faces hidden behind their visors. He was glad of it, really; he didn't want to see their haunted eyes, their hopeless expressions, and he didn't them to see his.

"Sit rep?" one of them asked. Galadhon didn't immediately have an answer for him. Situation report? As far as he could see, the _situation_ was that they were out of options and out of time.

"They'll be here any moment," he said eventually. "Grenades? Lightning Strikes?"

Most of the fairies assembled before him shook their heads. It seemed that they had almost entirely exhausted their arsenal on the McGraney farm. No-one had another Lightning Strike, but there were at least a few plasma grenades and plasma rockets still available. Galadhon himself had a single grenade left.

"OK," he said aloud, trying to focus. Trying to think. "We need to buy them as much time as possible to evacuate the remaining civilians. If we're alive and nearby, I doubt those monsters will attempt to breach the shuttle port itself."

"So we try and hold out as long as possible?"

Galadhon nodded, uncomfortable with the plan but knowing that it was their only choice. He indicated the surrounding area. Clumps of bushes here and there and the odd ditch would make serviceable cover.

"We make our last stand here. Spread out; cover as much ground as possible. Make them think us more numerous than we are."

One of the fairies pulled off his helmet. The face revealed was elfin and young, barely sixty. But though he looked grim, his expression was one of defiance. There was no fear in his eyes.

"This is the end, isn't it?" he said, his tone calm, not betraying any emotions.

For a time Galadhon said nothing. In the silence, they could hear the Undying getting closer. He considered lying. He considered trying to say something inspiring. In the end, however, he simply removed his helmet as well and looked the young elf straight in the eye.

"Yes."

The other elf nodded once. "It's been an honour, sir."

The rest of the survivors nodded too and echoed the sentiment in their own words. Galadhon couldn't help smiling, drawing courage from his comrades.

"We are servants of the People, in death, as in life," he said. "Today we do our duty."

"Today we do our duty," the others repeated, and they set off to find sanctuary for their final battle.

"Forgive me," whispered Galadhon as he donned his helmet, watching the fairies disappear into cover. "I have brought you all to your deaths."

* * *

 **Nebula Facility Upper Level, South-eastern France**

Little by little, Butler returned to consciousness, slowly becoming aware of his surroundings again. The pain grew steadily, his blissful numbness falling away until the agony was his whole world. Everything hurt. The bodyguard ran a quick mental diagnostic, experimentally trying to move his limbs. Miraculously, they seemed to respond, albeit rather sluggishly.

 _Not paralysed then_ , he thought, taking what comfort he could from the revelation. His wounds probably wouldn't be fatal, but sadly not everyone was so lucky.

A short distance from him lay the fallen form of his sister. Visibility was poor in the gloom, but it was clear that the girl wasn't moving. The hilt of Natalya's sword still protruded from her chest. By squinting, Butler thought he just about make out a thin trickle of blood seeping out of the wound. Perhaps it was just leaking, or perhaps there was still a weak heartbeat pushing it. Perhaps there was some slim sliver of hope.

Butler extended a hand in Juliet's direction, trying desperately to pull himself towards his sister as her last seconds ticked away. The pain from his injuries was unimaginable now, an insurmountable energy that permeated every shred of his being, threatening to overcome him.

The bodyguard knew he would succumb soon, and he knew that there was nothing he could do for his sister. But he continued to crawl nevertheless, his progress painstakingly slow, even as the blackness began to eat away at the edges of his vision. He had to reach her. For what, he did not know, but he knew that he had to reach her. It was his only aim in life, his one purpose. To reach her before it was too late.

Footsteps echoed behind him. He tried to turn but his head would not obey. Strong hands grabbed him. He tried to resist, but already what little strength he had was deserting him. The bodyguard became dimly aware of a faint, earthy smell as the darkness claimed him once more.

* * *

 **Tara, Ireland**

The Undying swarmed over the hills, hunting those that had dared to elude their wrath. When they finally came upon the last refuge of Galadhon's fairies, they knew that their vengeance would be swift and brutal.

Bullets and lasers filled the air. The Undying kept pushing forward, unstoppable. When one got too close, the fairies expended one of their precious few remaining explosives to keep them at bay, but it was clear that their efforts were futile. One by one, they fell.

Galadhon watched in horror from his nest of bushes as the Undying overran them. He let loose shot after shot from his plasma rifle, desperately trying to support his comrades, but he may as well have been trying to bring down a mountain with a toothpick. The manmade monsters simply never stopped pushing onwards. Never stopped killing.

It was apparent after a while that none of the other fairies had any ordnance left. Galadhon could see four others beside himself still fighting. He lined up the nearest Undying in his sights and took a steadying breath, but he never got a chance to pull the trigger. The bullet that caught him in the shoulder sent him stumbling and crying out in pain. The bullet that found his chest brought him to his knees.

Independent of any conscious instruction, Galadhon found his hands clamped over the sudden hole in his body. He stared in horror at the blood dripping through his fingers with blurring eyes. His last few blue sparks danced on the wound and winked out, one by one.

Galadhon glanced up. Stood only a meter away was one of the Undying. Only up close could the elf truly appreciate how terrifying his foes really were. With his armor, the man was easily bigger than Butler. He had no face, only a blank mask, but Galadhon knew that there would be no mercy in his eyes.

After countless millennia of being the most powerful species on Earth, it seemed that the People had finally met their match. Before him stood an indomitable machine of war. He had failed. The People would be exposed. And what hope did the peaceful fairies have against the immortal fury of humanity?

The Undying raised its weapon. Galadhon found his hand straying to his belt as he looked death in the eye. He fingers closed around the metal sphere and he pushed down his thumb. There was a satisfying click.

"If I am to die," he managed. "It will be on my terms. And you're coming with me."

The Undying seemed to realize what was about to happen a fraction of a second too late to react. Beneath his visor, his mouth formed an almost comical "O" as the grenade stuck to his helmet. The explosion of brilliant purple flames consumed him, killing him instantly.

Galadhon was hurled back by the shockwave, even his advanced LEP suit doing little do mitigate the force of the impact. As he lay in his own blood, almost every bone in his body broken and covered in horrific burns, the elfin captain stared up at the night sky through the space where his visor used to be. Despite the pain, he smiled. He had sworn to do his duty, and that was what he had done.

The insurmountable pain began to fade. The world seemed to start fraying around the edges. But even as he felt his life leave him, Galadhon saw the most extraordinary thing. Foaly's sky window was dematerializing, and from inside the Tara shuttle port itself something was emerging. A shuttle of some kind. What remained of Galadhon's mind recognized it. It was a prototype of the new, expanded version of the supersonic attack shuttle. Though similar to the old model, Foaly's upgraded shuttle was safer, faster and included a means of transporting passengers.

All around Galadhon's fallen form, the Undying opened fire on the shuttle. It wasn't even a remotely fair fight. The human weapons didn't even scratch the armour plating. The shuttle's powerful laser cannons annihilated the remaining Undying in seconds. As Galadhon's world went black, he just caught a glimpse of the shuttle land and several figures disembark, including the young demon warlock №1, shouting for the wounded to be brought to him.

Tara had been saved. But the cost had been unimaginable.

 **A/N: Well that was all rather serious, but I hope you enjoyed anyway. The Undying ended up being a pretty intimidating force, certainly more than I had initially planned, but I think it works.** **I hope the combat felt authentic and was easy to follow - I did my best with it. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with how it came out in the end, and I had a great time writing it. Almost done now - next chapter will probably resolve the main plot, and then there'll be maybe one more tying up lose ends.**

 **Anyway, please review - I love hearing from you guys :D**

 **-Kio**


	26. Gone

**A/N: So here it is. Not technically the final chapter (I still have loose ends to wrap up), but nevertheless the conclusion to the main plot. It launches straight into things, starting right from when Amber and Artemis/Holly were exchanging threats outside her ops booth in the chapter before last, so sorry if it feels a bit sudden. It works better simply as part of the ending than as a standalone chapter (this is one of the times where the FanFiction format is kind of annoying).** **Anyway, I hope you enjoy :)**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 26;**

 **Nebula Facility Lower Level, South-eastern France**

Artemis should his head in frustration. Time was ticking and Amber's system was proving just as obstinate as she had promised. He had already wasted more than a minute and made absolutely no progress. Perhaps if he was able to concentrate he might have a slim chance, but with Atlantis sinking its teeth into his brain he couldn't even focus all his attention on the task at hand.

He entered command after command, ran script after script, but nothing worked. And he still couldn't get the numbers out of his head – one way or another, Atlantis was linking everything to either five or four. Life or death. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to find some semblance or sanity, but he couldn't. The panic was rising, ever so steadily.

 _I can't do it_ , he thought, knowing it was true. _I can't get in. Amber will win. She will kill hundreds of millions. And it will all be because I couldn't stop her._ It was almost too much to bear. The pre-emptive guilt swirled around his head, sapping his concentration even further.

"Holly," he said, his voice quiet.

The elf didn't hear him. She was busy listening to Amber monologue.

"Holly," the boy said again, louder this time.

"What is it Artemis?"

"I can't." The words almost stuck in his throat. He didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't deny it either. Still, saying it aloud somehow made it more real.

Holly's brow creased. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice edged with panic. "There has to be a way. There has to be."

It seemed almost unimaginable that after all their adventures, all the times they had saved the world together, they would be defeated by nothing more than a door. A single layer of metal separated them from Amber. They were so close. Surely there was something they could do other than stand there, letting the timer tick down on Amber's artificial apocalypse.

The centaur had stopped speaking now, instead choosing to simply enjoy watching Artemis and Holly's hope drain away. Her eyes were lit up with hatred and her smile was wide with malice, taunting them from the other side of the reinforced glass.

A mechanical noise from behind Holly made her turn. A door built into the wall on the far side of the chamber had slid open. Holly hadn't spared it more than a glance when she had first arrived, assuming it to lead to a storage unit or something else uninteresting, but she now realised that it actually concealed an elevator.

Natalya stepped out of the futuristic pod and into the chamber, blood on her face and a sword in her hand. Holly wondered briefly where her other sword was. The fact that Natalya was here instead of the Butlers didn't bode well.

But still, there was something in Natalya's expression. Holly couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but it gave her some tiny spark of hope. She looked hard at the approaching girl. Could it be… _uncertainty_? Her condescending sneer was still there, but less pronounced, as if she was too distracted to concentrate on maintaining her normal façade.

"Artemis," Holly called to her human friend. "Trouble. We need a plan right now or it's over."

While Artemis racked his brains for something that might save their lives, Holly put herself between him and the advancing threat. She didn't fancy her chances, but what choice did she have? The least she could do was try and buy Artemis some time.

"Where are Butler and Juliet?" she asked, dreading the answer but unable to think of a better way to delay her opponent.

Natalya shrugged. "The girl is dead. The other is alive, for now, but he won't be fighting any more battles today." She cocked her head. "Is it even important? It's not like any of you will make it out of here anyway."

Holly was shocked. It took her a moment to find her voice. _Of course it matters! Juliet dead? No. It can't be. I refuse to believe it until I see the body._ It seemed impossible that Juliet of all people, so happy and carefree, could be snatched from them by the cold girl before her.

"You're lying," she said, forcing herself to believe the words. Natalya had to be lying, or mistaken, because the alternative was too terrible.

The Russian girl shrugged again, unfazed by the grief twisting Holly's features. "Perhaps," she said. "Perhaps not. In a few minutes, it won't matter."

She strode towards Holly, sword ready. The elf dropped into a fighting stance, but she knew that if Natalya wanted to kill her then she was already dead. She had no weapons, no magic, and Natalya had already shown herself to be a formidable opponent. Unless she could somehow convince Natalya to stand down, Holly would be cast aside like an old toy.

Holly blinked. That was it. She reached into the depths of her being, desperate to find a last trickle of magic. She had used every spark she had to heal Artemis, but if there was just a trace of power, an echo even, it might just be enough for a _mesmer_. She stared into Natalya's eyes. They were hazel and beautiful, just like Holly's, but darker. Deeper. They narrowed suspiciously as Holly looked into them, wary of a trap.

The elf took a breath. Artemis had cheated her _mesmer_ several times with the use of mirrored sunglasses and contact lenses. Natalya wore no sunglasses, and as far as Holly could tell, her eyes were naked. If there was a reflective layer there that she couldn't see then she was done for, but she had to try.

" _Stop,"_ she intoned, her voice layered with the hypnotic fairy _mesmer_. "Your will is mine. Put down your sword."

Natalya paused, uncertainty flashing across her face. She blinked and shook her head, as if trying to dislodge an unpleasant thought that was trying to take root.

Holly's chorus wasn't as strong as she would have liked, but when she tried to push harder, to add another layer to her voice, the magic wasn't there. All she could do was hope it was enough.

" _Natalya, don't your arms feel heavy? Why not just put down the sword? Put it down and go to sleep."_

A vein pulsed in Natalya's eyelid. She gripped her sword so tight that her knuckles went white, drawing it closer to her as though it would try and fly away. She flinched as Holly spoke, clenching her teeth and closing her eyes.

" _Sleep, Natalya. Sleep!"_

The Russian girl opened her eyes. There was a new steel in them. A new clarity.

"No."

Her empty hand formed a fist and she struck Holly with lightning speed, sending the surprised elf tumbling to the floor, blood on her face. Holly tried to get up but Natalya kicked savagely at her ribs. None broke, but the pain was intense and immediate.

"Stay down," she instructed, brandishing her sword, "unless you want me to take your head."

Holly obeyed, not because she particularly wanted to, but because her body didn't seem to be able to face doing anything else. Natalya's strength tended to have that effect on people.

Amber gave a cruel laugh from the safety of her operations booth.

* * *

Artemis watched as Holly tried to _mesmerize_ Natalya. He didn't expect it to work – he had a theory about Natalya, and if he was right, she was beyond the influence of a weak _mesmer_ from an exhausted fairy. To his surprise Holly's chorus did seem to affect Natalya, but after a few moments she still overcame it.

Artemis watched as Holly went down, watched as Natalya pressed home her advantage. His gut wrenched as he heard the elf's groan of pain. He wanted to call out, to beg, even, for Holly to be shown mercy, but no words would come. A sort of primal fear latched onto him. For once, his big brain had deserted him. There was simply no way out, no way to win.

Holly would die.

His heart lurched. Life without her was inconceivable, even though he doubted he would have to suffer it for very long. He had lost her twice before; he had seen her die on Hybras, and he had believed her to have been killed in the Amber's labyrinth. But this time it was no hologram, and there would be no temporal tricks to resurrect her. When Amber decided that it was time, he was going to lose her. And there was nothing he could do.

Natalya came towards him. Time was still ticking. On the surface, hundreds of millions of lives waiting to be snuffed out. Above them, Butler and Juliet, either mortally wounded or already dead. A few meters away, Holly, beaten down and broken. Destined to die. Who could he save? Any of them?

The Russian girl grabbed him one-handed and tossed him towards Holly. He landed hard beside the elf, the impact driving the air from his lungs. Natalya turned to Amber.

"All threats have been neutralised. You can come out and gloat now if you want."

Amber squealed with childish joy and flicked a switch. The ops booth's blast doors rumbled open and the centaur trotted out, barely able to contain her spiteful glee.

Artemis glanced at Natalya, confused. _Why would she encourage Amber to leave her haven?_ For a moment, he thought he saw the ghost of a triumphant smile dancing over her mouth, but then it was gone.

"It's less than twelve minutes now," Amber was saying happily, "until launch. I even included Fowl Manor and the surrounding area in the list of targets – not exactly a high priority target, but then again, better safe than sorry. I wouldn't want one of your brothers growing to be as troublesome as you, would I?"

Artemis felt the weight crushing down on him grow even heavier. _Mother, father, the twins_. More victims to add to the list of people he couldn't save. Amber continued taunting him, but he wasn't listening anymore. He was more interested in the open entrance in the ops booth that lay behind Amber, and the idea forming in his mind. A chance. Maybe.

Artemis got to his feet slowly, trying to seem more badly hurt than he was. He reached out, his hand finding Holly's and pulling her upright. The elf winced in pain, but smiled at him. It was a genuine smile, warm and blameless. Artemis made to let her hand go but she held on. _If we're going to die_ , her expression said, _we're going to die together._

"Oh, aren't you two adorable?" exclaimed Amber, clapping her hands together.

Artemis knew that if he had to die, he could think of no way he would rather go than hand in hand with Holly. But instead of returning the smile, he gave the elf an almost imperceptible shake of his head, trying to tell her that maybe, just maybe, there was another way. He looked her in the eye, desperately trying to communicate without words. Trying to tell her that he had a plan, and that all he needed was a distraction.

What might have been a flicker of understanding fluttered across Holly's face. She gave an almost invisible nod, and a look that said, very simply, _I trust you_.

Things happened very quickly after that. Holly gave a scream of fury and charged at Amber, raising both fists in defiance. Natalya stepped calmly towards her and raised her sword, but the elf ducked under the blade and collided with the centaur. The two went down, but before Holly could do anything else, Natalya was on her, punching her once again and pinning her to the floor.

Artemis took advantage of the few precious seconds of chaos, darting past Amber and towards the ops booth. He was just three paces away. Now two.

"The Mud Boy!" screeched Amber as she realized what was happening. "Stop him!"

Natalya reacted instantly, raising her sword and taking aim at Artemis as he crossed the threshold into the ops booth. His paused for a moment, his eyes darting around, searching desperately for the control to seal the doors. There! The switch! He dived towards it and flicked it, sending the huge blast doors slamming shut. Natalya's sword clattered harmlessly off the reinforced titanium a split second later.

Artemis didn't give himself time to catch his breath, instead moving immediately to the console underneath the window where Amber had been stood before. Their positions were now completely reversed. It only took him a moment to find the controls for the facility's inbuilt DNA cannons.

Amber was in hysterics, howling with rage and hurling abuse at Artemis. But then she paused for a moment, a thought striking her. "The elf!" she screamed at Natalya. "Threaten the elf!"

The Russian girl had already collected her sword after it had narrowly missed Artemis, and now turned her attention back to Holly. Holly tried to get up and run, but already the tip of the blade was already under her throat.

Amber smiled viciously. "Open the doors _immediately_ or Holly will die. Badly." Artemis said nothing, so she continued. "Allow me to explain the situation to you; it is impossible for you to abort the launches, and so you cannot hope to foil my plan. All you will achieve if you insist on remaining in there will be the very slow and painful death of Captain Short. You will have to watch it. You will have to listen; her screams will haunt you for the remainder of your short life. Much better to surrender now and die quickly."

Artemis continued to ignore her, refusing to consider the possibility of Holly being hurt. His hands expertly manipulated the controls in front of him, altering the DNA cannons' target settings. He glanced up at Amber and looked her in the eye, allowing the hatred to well up inside him. His finger rested a millimetre above the _confirm_ button.

"Whether I can abort the launches is immaterial," he said quietly. "Whatever happens, war or peace, you won't live to see it. I will make sure of that."

Amber opened her mouth to respond, but Artemis was already pressing down his finger, applying the updated targets to the DNA stun cannons. In less than half a second, both Amber and Natalya were hit with neutrino stun charges. Unconsciousness was immediate.

Holly took a moment to catch her breath. That was it. Finally over. "Nice work, Artemis," she said, smiling. "Cutting it a bit fine though, don't you think?"

But Artemis wasn't listening. He was staring at one of the screens in front of him, a look of horror slowly spreading across his face.

"Artemis?" Holly sounded concerned now. "Artemis, what's wrong?"

The boy still didn't respond. He just carried on looking at the readout in front of him, willing it not to be true. Amber had been deadly serious; there was no way to abort the launches. It wasn't a question of authorisation – he had access to most of the centaur's systems from within the ops booth, including the launch protocol. No, the option to abort simply did not exist. And according to the computer, the silos were situated elsewhere, so there was no hope of manually disabling the missiles themselves. Artemis glanced at the countdown. In ten and a half minutes the computer would send the signal to fire and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He took a moment to consult the list of targets. Sure enough, Fowl Manor was there. His entire family was going to be wiped out.

Holly was growing quite agitated on the other side of the window. "Artemis Fowl, tell me what is going on right now," she instructed, her tone not quite as charitable as it had been a moment ago.

Artemis carried on shutting out her voice, focusing all his attention on the console in front of him. He tried shutting the entire system down, but that option didn't seem to be available either. _What kind of paranoid megalomaniac writes programs that have no safeguards and can't be terminated in an emergency?_ he started to ask himself in frustration, but then he caught sight of Amber's unconscious form and wondered why he had bothered. It was exactly the kind of thing the centaur would do. He didn't know why he was even surprised.

Her face furious, Holly rapped hard on the window. "Let me in, Artemis," she said dangerously. "Let me in _now_."

Artemis looked briefly up at her. He looked at the elevator that Natalya had stepped out of. Its doors were still open. He looked at the countdown, then up at the DNA cannons mounted on the roof. He tried to think clearly, tried to push the incessant numbers and voices of madness to one side. A plan was forming, piece by piece in his mind. There was only one way to ensure the signal to fire the bio-bombs was never sent. It was extreme, and there would be a hefty cost. But it was a way to save his family. To save the world. And maybe, just maybe, there was a chance to save Holly as well.

"D'Arvit, Artemis!" Holly was shouting. "If you don't stop ignoring me and open that door right this second then I swear that you will regret it."

Artemis gave his friend his full attention for the first time since he had sealed himself in the ops booth. An immense sadness came over him as he looked into her eyes, one hazel, the other deepest blue. He wanted to try and reassure her, wanted to smile, but there were tears in his eyes now.

"Artemis. Let me in."

"I'm so sorry, Holly," he said softly, his fingers tapping options on the console in front of him. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

The DNA cannons gave a soft hum as they acquired a new target. Holly was unconscious before she hit the floor.

* * *

Once Holly was down, Artemis opened the doors and went immediately to her side. It was almost too much, seeing her lying there, so exposed, considering what he was planning to do. Almost. But as much as it hurt him to follow through, Artemis knew that he would not turn back. He had to do this. He understood that now. After all, what was his life against countless millions?

The boy grabbed a set of wings from one of Amber's racks of equipment and a pair of communicators before returning to Holly. He lent down and grabbed her, dragging her to across the chamber to the still open elevator. His arms were weak with fatigue and his progress far slower than he would have liked, but he made it, leaning the elf against the pod's wall in a sitting position. He placed the wings alongside her as well as one of the communicators. He had stunned Holly with a weak pulse, so she would wake up soon, and no doubt try and contact him. He hadn't been certain about leaving her the means to do so - the elf was sure to try and dissuade him from his plan, but he didn't think he could handle the thought of leaving Holly without saying goodbye.

For a moment, he simply looked at her, drinking in every detail of her face, immortalizing it in his mind. He felt then a tremendous surge of affection flow over him. He thought that perhaps he had never really appreciated how fierce and beautiful his friend was until now.

 _She is truly magical. Perhaps her qualities are more obvious to me now that I have decided to sacrifice myself_. He wished that he had not had to stun her, but he knew that if he had told Holly of his plan then she would only have tried to stop him. She would never have voluntarily left him to save herself, and so Artemis had been forced to make that decision for her.

Had Artemis had more time to think, he would have been surprised, astonished even, at what he was attempting to do. Certainly, the boy that had kidnapped Holly Short all those years ago would never have entertained the possibility of giving up his own life so that others might live.

But there was no time to think, only time to act. Artemis did not give himself the chance to truly consider his plan lest he convince himself not to go through with it. Any hesitation could be fatal for humans and fairies alike.

Artemis suddenly realised that Atlantis had no power over him anymore. For the first time in recent memory, there was no madness clouding his mind. The never-ending numbers were finally gone. His choices were his own. It took him a moment to figure out why.

 _It is because this is the end. It is strangely liberating to know that you are about to die._ Artemis felt an odd sense of freedom come over him. No more expectations, no more responsibility or guilt. Just one last nightmare to endure. And he would do so because out of all the nightmares he had endured, this was the one that he chose for himself. He was the master of his own destiny. Atlantis could no longer dominate his mind, manipulating him with guilt and anxiety.

Stopping only to take one last look at Holly, Artemis made his way back to the ops booth. He quickly found the elevator controls and sent Holly's pod to the surface. According to the computer, the contents of the pod would be deposited outside one of the facilities many hidden surface exits. Perfect.

Artemis took a breath. There was no going back now. He initiated a complete lockdown of the Nebula Facility's lower level, which was a fortress in its own right, and then deleted the lockdown program, making the action irreversible. There was now no way in or out. Artemis was completely isolated from the rest of the world. He glanced at the countdown. Six minutes. Not long now. He laid the other communicator on top of the console and waited, trying to keep the rising fear at bay.

* * *

 **Near Nebula Facility, South-eastern France**

When Butler came to, he was surprised to find that he was not only not dead, but also that the pain had greatly diminished. He opened his eyes warily, immediately recognizing the French countryside they had walked through to reach the Nebula Facility. Juliet was lying on a sort of makeshift stretcher next to him, her chest rising and falling weakly as she breathed in an out. Alive, then, for now at least. Relief flooded through Butler.

The bloody sword that had been embedded in her lay discarded on the floor, and an icepack of strangely familiar blue crystals was resting on her wound. The bodyguard noticed similar icepacks had been placed on his own now partially healed wounds. It took him a while to place them – Holly had used similar packs to heal Root's ribs when they were retreating from the Arctic and try and stop Koboi for the first time.

"I see you're awake then," said a gruff voice from nearby. Butler looked up and saw Mulch peering at him from the stolen LEP shuttle

Butler smiled, but it was forced. "Explain."

"No appreciation," muttered the dwarf, shaking his head. "Fine. I got bored waiting here by myself and I figured you guys were probably getting into trouble without me, so I came to see if I could help. Lucky I did, really. If I hadn't winched you two up here and given you those medpacks, you'd probably both be dead." He sighed. "Of course, I don't get a thank you or anything."

Butler smiled with a little more warmth. It appeared that, not for the first time, he and Juliet owed their lives to the pungent dwarf.

"Thank you," he said, and he meant it. "What about Holly and Artemis?"

Mulch shrugged. "Couldn't find them. I thought it would be wise to just get you two out of there as quickly as possible."

The bodyguard nodded and made to stand, intending to go back and try and help his charge. He winced and sat back down again quickly. Apparently, he wasn't quite as healed as he had thought.

"Good decision," commented Mulch. "No way you're going back out there, not until you get some attention from a warlock."

Butler indicated his sister. "Will she be alright?"

Mulch looked pained. "I'm no doctor," he said carefully. "But those medpacks are no substitute for real magic. They won't heal a fatal wound like that on their own, but they'll buy her some time."

Butler's heart constricted. "How long?"

"Hard to say," the dwarf replied uncertainly. "Half an hour, maybe. If she doesn't get attention from a warlock soon then she will die."

The massive bodyguard felt his gut wrench. Half an hour was not long enough to reach Haven, and even if they could get there in time he doubted that they would be offered anything more than a nice comfortable cell. He glanced at the mound in the distance that he knew concealed the Nebula Facility. Holly was somewhere in there, and, providing she had some magic left, she was Juliet's only chance. Butler didn't know if he could live with himself if his sister didn't make it.

* * *

 **Near Nebula Facility, South-eastern France**

It took a moment for Holly's memories to return to her once she returned to consciousness. She found herself on the side of a hill, lying in the grass. Dawn tinged the sky. The only things with her were a pair of wings and a communicator. There was no sign of Artemis.

 _Artemis._

Had he stunned her? Had he betrayed her? It didn't seem possible. And yet she could come up with no explanation. The elf reached for the communicator. All of her own systems had been disabled by Natalya's EMP, so she presumed that Artemis had left her the communicator so she could contact him. The Mud Boy picked up on the first ring.

"Fowl," she said, her voice cold. "You have one chance to explain yourself."

It was a moment before Artemis's voice came over the speakers. "Holly, I'm so sorry. If there had been any other way, believe me…" His voice broke for a moment, but then he composed himself. "Holly please, forgive me. I can't abort the launches. It isn't possible. When the timer reaches zero, Amber's system will send the signal to fire. I can't stop that, unless…"

Holly felt suddenly nervous. "Unless what?"

"Unless there isn't a system to send the signal anymore. If I initiate self-destruct, then the transmission will never be sent."

Holly frowned, confused. "Wait a minute, where are you? Please tell me you're not still down there."

Artemis paused. When he spoke again, his voice was soft. Apologetic. "Amber was paranoid. I need special authorization – which I don't have - to initiate self-destruct, unless there is an emergency lockdown in progress. And during lockdown, there is no way in or out of the facility."

Holly felt the hollowness of dread sour her stomach as it dawned on her what Artemis was going to do. "No. You can't do this. I won't let you."

"It's the only way. I have to do this."

" _You_ have to do it?" shouted Holly, incensed. "Artemis Fowl makes choices for everyone as usual."

"Perhaps, but this time I am justified by circumstance."

Holly clenched her fists. "No. Forget it, Artemis. It's not happening."

"It has to happen. Perhaps in time, with resources, I could develop an alternate strategy…"

"Develop an alternate strategy? This is not a corporate takeover we're talking about, Artemis. This is your life. What about your family?"

"Either I initiate the self-destruct or my family _dies_ , Holly," he reminded her. "They won't miss me if they are vaporised by a bio-bomb."

"Fine then. What about me?"

For a time, Artemis said nothing. When he found his voice, the sadness in his tone was unmistakeable. "Holly, I owe you everything. Because of you, I have my family. You showed me the value of friendship, and you taught me to do the right thing. I was a broken boy and you fixed me. Thank you."

Holly could feel the fear rising in her throat like bile, trying to crawl up out of her mouth. Artemis was serious. He was going to go through with it. She was going to lose him. She tried to blink away the tears she could feel welling up in her eyes.

"Fly away, Holly," continued Artemis, his voice almost breaking. "Please don't allow yourself to be caught in the explosion. I want you to live; I want you to be happy. That is my last wish."

"You can't do this," she cried, tears flowing freely now. They spilled down her cheeks but she was too distraught to even notice them. "You can't."

"Why not? We both know it is the only way."

"Because I love you."

The words were out before she could stop them. She wasn't even sure where they had come from. She had been desperate for something to say to change his mind, anything, and they had just tumbled out. Three little words. They weren't true, were they? She didn't _love_ Artemis Fowl, did she? Except that they _were_ true. She _did_ love him. Somewhere along the road, her feelings for him had crossed from friendship to into something. She hadn't ever given proper thought to it, not really. It hadn't needed any grand gestures or proclamations. It had just been there, floating out of reach, a futile dream that she had never been willing to admit was there. A fantasy, ignored until there was no other option, standing on the edge of a knife.

"Artemis," she begged. "Artemis please."

The silence clung to the air like moisture, heavy with insecurity and hope

"In another time, Holly." There was a soft click as Artemis severed the connection.

There was a second of stillness as Holly tried to process what had happened. When she did, something inside her broke.

She screamed. The world seemed to lose its focus and a sort of numbness spread over her. She tried to re-establish the connection with Artemis but he refused to accept the call. She screamed his name, though she knew he could not hear her. A high-pitched whine filled her ears, drowning out even the sound of her own voice. She rolled up into the foetal position, cradling her head in her arms and crying uncontrollably, no longer aware of her surroundings.

Holly's core of steel forced her to raise her head. Forced her to stop crying. _Pull yourself together! You can't save him now, and there is no use in you throwing away your life as well. Get up and get clear of the explosion._

 _In a minute. I'll get up in a minute._

 _No. Not in a minute. Now._

Holly closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, there was a new determination in them. The elf reached out and grabbed the wings Artemis had left her, strapping them to her back with practiced ease. Artemis had asked her to fly away. To live. And she would do so because it was the last thing that Artemis Fowl would ever ask of her. His last wish.

There came a sound. A rumbling of thunder, but from beneath her feet. Distant at first, it grew into a solid wall of noise that cascaded over the hills. The ground shook as the equivalent of several thousand tons of TNT was ignited. Holly leapt into the air, accelerating hard with her wings. Holes began to appear as patches of ground fell inwards, jets of flame emerging from the cavities and lighting up the night. The tongues of fire licked at Holly's boots and threatened to consume her, but she opened the throttle wider, climbing higher and higher into the dawn, not stopping until long after she had escaped the danger.

Holly hung there for a moment, overcome with grief, her eyes – one hazel, the other the colour of coldest ice – shining with unshed tears and her face haunted with loss.

She caught a glimpse of movement on the ground below. Two figures had noticed her and were now pointing and waving. Humans? In all the commotion, had she allowed humans to discover her? She looked more carefully. One of the figures was incredibly short, the other a veritable giant. Mulch and Butler?

Holly soared down to meet them automatically, her brain too numb with grief to facilitate real thought. She touched down next to Juliet, sinking to her knees. The human girl was dying, and she had no magic left to save her. Artemis and Juliet? It was too much. Tears threatened to spill over once more.

"Heal her," Butler ordered. The manservant was less than a metre away, but his words drifted to Holly from far away, as though across a misty chasm.

Holly shook her head slowly. "No magic," she managed to say.

For a moment, Butler went quiet. His face paled. Then an idea flitted across his face, and the fight returned to his eyes. He stepped towards Holly and ripped open the top of her uniform. She didn't resist; she barely even noticed. Two objects hung around her neck. Her copy of the fairy Book, and a small plexiglass sphere filled with earth. It may have been illegal, but Holly had carried a sealed acorn wherever she went ever since Artemis had kidnapped her all those years ago.

Butler wasted no time in grabbing the little clear ball and crushing it in his hand, liberating the acorn within. He placed the seed into Holly's tiny fist and pressed both into the loose earth. Even in her numb state Holly could feel the power rushing up her arm. It wasn't a full moon, so her powers wouldn't fully be restored, but she would have enough sparks to keep Juliet alive at least.

Butler grabbed both the elf's hands and placed them on the wound in Juliet's chest. The girl was barely even alive anymore.

 _Heal_ , Holly thought, on instinct more than anything else. Immediately the magic surged through her and into Juliet, replacing lost blood and sealing the stab wound tight shut.

Relief washed over Butler as it became clear that Juliet would live, but it was instantly replaced with anxiety. Since seeing Holly, Butler had had room in his head for one thought and one thought only: _save Juliet_. Only now that this had been accomplished did he find himself able to think about what had just happened.

 _Holly has returned. Alone._

"Holly?" he asked, fear gripping his voice. The stricken elf still seemed almost paralysed. There was no indication that she had even registered him saying her name. "Where's Artemis?"

 _Artemis_. Perhaps the one word capable of penetrating the grief that enveloped Holly. For a moment, her eyes focused on the devastation where the Nebula Facility used to be. Nothing could have survived, not even from within the reinforced ops booth.

 _Artemis_.

"Gone," she whispered, fresh tears flowing down her cheeks.

 **A/N: Be right back, just going to go try and put my heart back together again. I'm sure that some of you could happily kill me right about now, but then you would never get to read the last chapter.**

 **OK. Right. I said in the very first author's note that this was very much an alternative to TLG, because I (and many others) had some problems with it. However, the subplot of Artemis sacrificing himself was by the far the best thing about the book in my opinion - it was a perfect culmination of Artemis's character development, and executed masterfully. As such, it was the only way I could ever envisage concluding my alternative. I don't expect to have done it anywhere near as well as Colfer did, but I wanted to try and do my own take on that idea. Respect to anyone who noticed all of the subtle parallels to and quotes from Artemis and Holly's exchange in TLG before Artemis sacrifices himself.**

 **Regarding A/H - since this is pretty much the most important thing in the AF universe for me, I _really_ hope I got Holly's confession right. Rather than just having them sort of grow into it, I really wanted to have one of them be forced to admit how they felt under extreme circumstances, and try and have it feel authentic while being consistent with the canon books (excl. TLG of course) and the rest of this story. Please let me know how I did! And Artemis's refusal to acknowledge that he loves Holly back was very deliberate, but in no way means that he doesn't feel the same way (he clearly does). He just doesn't feel like he can admit it when he is about to die.**

 **I must admit, it pretty much broke my heart writing this. But hey, at least you can be pleased that I didn't kill Juliet or Butler, right? And bear with me, I know there are a few unanswered questions left - I'll tie everything together in the last chapter.**

 **Please review - this is basically _the_ critical chapter, so I would really appreciate some feedback :)**

 **-Kio**


	27. Alone

**A/N: 120,000 words and almost exactly 6 months later, here it is. The final chapter. I really hope you enjoy it!**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and supported this story - in particular the last chapter, I loved reading what you guys had to say about it. I've really enjoyed writing this, and I hope it will be the first of many. So thanks again, and enjoy :)**

 **-Kio**

 **Chapter 27;**

 **Haven City, The Lower Elements**

Holly Short sat on the edge of her futon, her jaw clenched and her eyes hollow, unblinking. It was only a few hours since she had made it back to Haven. The part of her that was still rational knew that she was in shock, unable to properly come to terms with everything that had happened.

Artemis was gone. Swept aside by Amber's malice. Even unconscious the centaur had found a way to tear a hole in Holly's life. It was difficult to believe it had really happened. Holly had felt as though her and Artemis were somehow invincible, conditioned by countless impossible victories to believe that there would always be a way to come out on top.

She had come to expect that one of them would always produce the spark of brilliance that would get them through whatever situation they found themselves in. She kept on thinking that somehow this was all part of one Artemis's genius plans, and then had to keep on reminding herself that no, this wasn't part of a plan. This was real. Artemis was gone.

Holly wasn't angry, at least not yet. She knew that would come later; the anger at Artemis for allowing this to happen, the anger at Amber for being responsible, the anger at herself for being unable to save him. But for the moment, all she could feel was emptiness. It consumed her like something tangible, a darkness that slowly asphyxiated her, leaving room for nothing else.

She had already made the mistake of trying to sleep, hoping that perhaps if she slipped out of consciousness, then she might be able to ignore the hole inside her. Sleep had come, but the nightmares had been worse than any waking pain. Memories of Artemis, distorted by grief until they were unrecognizable.

And so, she had found herself sat there, on the edge of her futon, unable to face the prospect of sleep, but unable to summon the energy to do anything else, not even to stand up. Slowly but surely her resistance grew weaker, and the shadows of loss began to tear her apart. The pain built deep within her until she wanted to scream. She felt like she was being eaten alive.

Artemis was gone. Not temporarily. Forever. There wasn't even a body to bury. A myriad of tiny things occurred to her then; insignificant things that Artemis always did, little mannerisms that made him the person that he was. And she would never experience any of them again. She had never even consciously noticed him doing most of them, but now that felt like a waste, as though she had squandered all her opportunities to properly appreciate every little quirk he had.

It was inconceivable that she would never again see his face, or his smile. Never again hear his voice, or his laughter. Never again feel her lips on his.

 _In another time._

It was only now that she was lost in the darkest of hours that Holly found she could be truly honest with herself. She had told Artemis that she loved him, and she had meant it. It was true that she had felt some of that love when they had travelled to the past, but Artemis had lied to her and broken her heart. And so she had buried her feelings so deep that she thought she would never find them again.

She had convinced herself that what happened between them was nothing, just the result of the time stream messing with her emotions. She had told herself that there was no future for them together, and that thinking otherwise was just a childish fantasy. She repeated it so many times that she had even started to believe it. And though she had forgiven Artemis for lying to her, she had allowed the hurt to continue preventing her from acknowledging how she truly felt.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't quite kill that hopeless dream. It had simply retreated deep inside her, enduring, waiting for the right time to emerge.

It had almost broken her resolve watching Artemis battle Atlantis. She had sat by his side day after day, night after night, watching as his mind tore itself apart. She had been desperate to help, but found there was nothing she could do to save him from his hell. A part of her had felt it then, some of that love she had for him, but her resolve had held and she had repressed it, in the process denying the two of them any chance at a life together.

And now it was too late. Too late for anything but grief. Artemis was gone. Death had come and ripped him from her life.

* * *

 **Haven General Hospital, The Lower Elements**

Captain Galadhon did something he had not expected to ever do again. He opened his eyes.

He recognized the interior of a hospital ward instantly. For a few moments, he simply lay there, strangely contented, until memories started flooding back. He remembered the pain, and the fear, and the sight of his own body, crippled and broken, limbs twisted at extraordinary angles. Remembered his flesh, blackened and charred by the unnatural purple flames. Remembered the agony as a thousand shards of shrapnel had embedded themselves in him, and remembered the bullets lodged in his chest.

He looked down at himself. His skin was unblemished, his body undamaged. He no longer felt any pain.

"Captain."

The elf looked up sharply. K'Azir was watching him from the entrance to the ward. Galadhon sat up a bit in an attempt to show at least a little respect to his commanding officer.

"Commander, sir. What's the situation topside?"

K'Azir smiled, making his way towards Galadhon's bed. "Contained, thanks to your efforts. We took some heavy losses, but all major security risks have been addressed. It's over."

Galadhon knew that he should feel relieved, but he could find only sadness. So much carnage. For nothing.

"How many?" he asked quietly.

K'Azir frowned. "How many what?"

"How many made it home?"

The commander took a moment to respond. "Six, including you." He paused, allowing an uncomfortable silence to fill the air. "I know it's a heavy price to pay, but the victory is worth it. Without their sacrifice, hundreds more would have died."

Galadhon looked K'Azir in the eye. When he spoke, his voice was cold. "Victory? We may have achieved our objective, we may have defeated Amber, but this was no victory. Today, everyone lost."

K'Azir didn't respond. He didn't have anything to say to that. In a way, he supposed that Galadhon was right, but that didn't change the fact that there had been no other choice.

"So how am I alive?" asked Galadhon, keen to change the subject.

"That would be my doing," said №1, appearing in the doorway with perfect timing. "I healed you, and the other survivors at Tara."

Galadhon frowned, but then he nodded slowly. Now that he thought about it, he did vaguely remember seeing №1 disembark the supersonic shuttle as he lost consciousness.

"How did you know to come?"

A look of sadness came over the little demon warlock. "I felt the attack."

Galadhon was cynical. "You _felt_ it?"

"Those humans killed more than a hundred fairies last night. A hundred magical beings, slaughtered in the space of a few seconds. It would be impossible for a warlock not to notice a magical disturbance like that. Frankly, I'm surprised no-one else could. Modern fairies are not as in tune with magic as they used to be."

"№1 came straight to Police Plaza to tell us," said K'Azir, picking up the explanation where the little demon had left off. "It was around the same time as we picked up your message about being overrun. I decided to send help."

Galadhon acknowledge the explanation with a respectful nod. "Thank you, then. It seems I owe the two of you my life." He looked at K'Azir. "You said it was over. Am I to assume that Fowl and Short managed to retrieve Amber?"

K'Azir's features twisted uncomfortably. "Yes and no. They stopped Amber before she could launch the bio-bombs, but she was killed in the process. At the moment, everything has been contained, so the humans don't know about us, but we have no way to prove the attack on Tara was orchestrated by a fairy. People are already asking why they can't contact their loved ones – when we tell them why, there's going to a strong lobby for war."

"D'Arvit," swore Galadhon. "The council's going to have a hard time controlling things for a while. Did we lose anyone?"

K'Azir shrugged. " _We_ didn't. Short and Diggums got back a few hours ago in the shuttle he stole. They dropped the remaining humans back at their home in Ireland."

"Remaining humans?" Galadhon asked, suddenly a lot more nervous than he had been before.

K'Azir's voice was devoid of emotion. "Apparently the Fowl kid didn't make it."

"What?" exclaimed №1, rounding on K'Azir. "Artemis is dead?"

The commander nodded.

Galadhon felt like he had been punched. He wouldn't exactly say he had been fond of Artemis, but he had had a certain respect for him. And the Mud Boy had been a good friend to the People. Without him, Haven would lie in ruins several times over.

"How?" demanded №1.

K'Azir gave another shrug. "I'm not sure. Caught in an explosion of something. Does it matter? He was just a human."

№1's eyes glowed a dangerous red. "Yes, it does matter. Artemis Fowl was a hero, and more than that he was my friend. So don't you dare think about insulting his memory."

K'Azir wasn't used to such impudence from a child. "Now listen to me…" he began spluttering angrily, but then he noticed the bolts of lightning forming in №1's hand and thought better of it.

"Wise choice," said the demon, turning his back to K'Azir before storming out of the room. Galadhon waited a moment before speaking.

"Where's Holly now? Debriefing?"

K'Azir shook his head. "I sent her home. She was barely even fit to talk – Mulch had to explain what happened before he was arrested for grand theft auto and assaulting an LEP officer when he stole the shuttle. The council wanted to me arrest Holly, too, but I couldn't bring myself to."

"Mulch goes and helps save the People – again – and he gets _arrested_ for it?"

To his credit, K'Azir did seem genuinely sorry. "I know it's not fair, but everything's a mess right now. Hopefully in a few days can let him go free. Maybe he'll even get that medal he never stops asking for."

Galadhon didn't respond. For a minute the two friends simply sat and said nothing, contemplating the situation. It was strike team captain that finally broke the silence.

"It's really over?"

"Seems to be," his commander confirmed. "At least, the worst of it is over. We've still got a hell of a mess to clean up." He glanced at the exit. "Speaking of which, I had better go and start on that." He and Galadhon embraced briefly. "Be well, my friend."

* * *

 **Fowl Manor, Ireland, Three days after Artemis's death**

Juliet knew exactly where she would find her brother – in the dojo. In the three days since Mulch had dropped them back at Fowl Manor, Domovoi Butler had done nothing more than eat, sleep and train, deflecting every attempt at conversation from his sister. Juliet would be lying if she said she wasn't concerned, but it was bad enough trying to come to terms with Artemis's death already. She wasn't sure she could spare the headspace to worry about her brother's state of mind.

Things were further complicated by Artemis's parents. When they had given the green light for their son to visit France and see Minerva, they too had decided that some time away from everything at home would be helpful. They had left for Greece the same day, and were now due to return this evening.

Juliet had no idea what she was going to tell them, especially Artemis Sr. Somehow she didn't think _"by the way, your son died saving the world from a maniacal creature that isn't supposed to exist"_ would cut it. No doubt the fairy council would expect them to be told something other than the truth, but Juliet already knew that there was no way she would be able to lie to them. Holly had outlined what had happened on the shuttle - their son had died a hero, and they deserved to know that. It was the least she could do.

Juliet herself was coping surprisingly well. She felt a certain responsibility to Artemis to keep herself together. It was clear that her brother had already fallen apart, and on the shuttle back to Ireland Holly had been a shell of her normal self. Juliet knew that Artemis would have wanted someone to be a rock of support to the people he had been forced to leave behind, and if no-one else was going to be able to fill that role, she would.

Morning dew clung to leaves and crisp air chilled her face as she made her way across the Fowl estate to the dojo. The dawn light was still banishing the shadows of night, but Juliet knew her brother would already be up and active.

She was twenty-one, a fully-grown adult in every sense of the word, and yet some part of her could never shake a certain apprehension before entering the dojo. As a child, she had waited at just this time outside the Japanese style building every morning for her training with her brother, and had always been afraid that he would be disappointed. Artemis had died on her watch as well as his, and she couldn't help but feel as though she had failed her brother. After all the time he had invested in training her, she had failed to keep Artemis alive.

She shook her head. She wasn't a child anymore. Someone had to be strong enough deal with the legacy of Artemis's death. She wanted nothing more than to be alone and grieve, but she knew she had to step up. Taking a breath, she pushed open the door and made her way in.

"Dom?" she called, but she needn't have. Butler was in the middle of the floor space, sinking brutal punches into a training dummy. He turned at the sound of her voice, but didn't say anything. "We need to talk."

Butler still said nothing, but straightened up and gave his sister his full attention. Juliet launched into the speech she had been rehearsing since waking up.

"Listen Dom, it wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done. What happened was of Artemis's own design – for better or for worse, he chose it."

She was about to continue, but Butler interrupted her. "You're right. This was Artemis's plan. I couldn't have stopped it, even if I had been able to try."

Juliet was a little taken aback. "You don't blame yourself?"

"For what? He's not dead Juliet. This is Artemis Fowl we're talking about here – his plans always come through. We may not understand them until the end, and maybe not even then, but they always work."

Juliet tried to respond, but she didn't seem able to find the words. She could almost feel her heart breaking. _He really doesn't believe it,_ she realized. _And there's nothing I will be able to say to sway him. He will live in denial until it becomes untenable, and then he will break._

"I almost doubted him before," Butler was continuing. "For three years I waited. But he told me he would be back, and he came back. That's all there is to it."

"Dom…" Juliet said gently. "It isn't like last time. He didn't tell us he would be back this time because he knew he wouldn't be. Even Holly said it was the end. She was the last person to see him alive – if he had a backup plan, surely she would have known about it?"

Annoyance flashed across Butler's face, and when he spoke again, there was steel in his voice. "Artemis didn't even go to the toilet without a backup plan." He took a breath. "No. Artemis has a plan. All we have to do is trust in him. Now if you'll excuse, I need to get back to training. What will Artemis say if I'm not in shape when he needs me again?"

Juliet could say nothing. She wanted nothing more than to try and argue, but knew that no words could convince her brother. All she could was watch miserably as Butler returned to his onslaught.

* * *

 **Tara, Ireland, A week after Artemis's death**

Captain Holly Short of LEPrecon had once lived to fly. She had lived to feel the air against her face, to soar over the remaining patches of beauty on the surface. But as she sped across the Irish countryside, she could derive no joy from the experience.

The elf had summoned all her determination and forced herself to adopt a mask of normality. Simply unable to cope, she had banished the pain deep inside her, and pretended that it wasn't there at all.

Once she had reclaimed some semblance of control over her mind, she had contacted Juliet and instructed her to tell Artemis's parents that he was still in France until she could get to the surface to explain the truth. The news, she was sure, should come from her. It was her people that had robbed them of their son after all.

So, she had sat politely through her debriefings, and explained repeatedly what had happened in France. It almost broke her resistance every time she was forced to recall that day, but she endured, knowing that she had one last mission to complete for her human friend. She had maintained her façade, refusing to let anyone see that she was dying inside.

 _His parents_ must _know the truth. Artemis was a true hero, and he gave his life so that the others may live._ Of course, the LEP had immediately buried Artemis's heroics and named her and Galadhon as Haven's saviours. While Holly didn't care much what the public thought, she wouldn't tolerate Artemis's parents believing that their son had simply disappeared and left them.

When Holly arrived at Fowl Manor, the first thing she did was locate Juliet. The girl was meditating in the grounds. It was out of character, and seemed strangely wrong seeing the normally hyperactive Juliet so still. Like death. Holly guessed that she was trying to take page out of Butler and Artemis's book in dealing with difficult times. She didn't think she could blame her.

The elf switched off her shield and landed lightly in front of the human. Juliet's eyes flicked open. Sat down on the grass, her face wasn't far from level with Holly's. She couldn't resist asking.

"Anything?"

Holly shook her head. She understood exactly how Juliet felt. It felt like a betrayal giving up hope on Artemis – after all, he had achieved miracles before – but Holly knew that he was gone. She had heard it in Artemis's voice when he had spoken to her in France. There had been no mistaking the pain in his tone. He had been saying goodbye for the last time.

Holly knew she would cherish that last goodbye until the day she died.

"Butler really believes that he isn't gone," Juliet was saying. Holly felt herself grimace. She hadn't been sure how Butler would react. Of all the options she had considered likely, outright denial had been the least healthy. In time, Butler would completely destroy himself.

 _And what about you?_ asked a voice in her head, unbidden. _Just because you acknowledge that he's gone doesn't mean you're dealing with this in a healthy way. Burying your grief will tear you apart in the long run just as much as denial will Butler._

 _Not now!_ she told herself. _I'll deal with my own grief later. Right now, I have to tell Artemis's parents the truth._

 _You'll deal with it later? That's worked out well in the past._

Holly's lips tightened. She couldn't deny that her track record for dealing with internal pain wasn't exactly great.

"Holly? Are you OK?" Juliet looked concerned.

Holly didn't respond as first. _Later. I'll figure this all out later._ "I'm OK," she lied. She attempted a smile. "I had better go and talk to his parents."

* * *

Artemis Fowl Sr. was not in the best of moods with his son as he made his way downstairs. His wife had told him about her fight with Artemis Jr. while the family had been on holiday, and he had resolved to have words with his son at the first available opportunity. But as soon as he had returned to the country, he had found that Artemis had decided – without even asking – that he would remain in France longer than they had agreed. And without a Butler! Artemis Sr. shook his head. He knew nothing about this Minerva girl, and honestly, he wasn't sure he approved of Artemis spending so much time with her. She could be dangerous.

Besides, Artemis Jr.'s place was here, with his family. It was bad enough that he had disappeared for several months with no notice to _"study"_ instead of returning from Iceland last year, but Artemis Sr. had thought that once his son was home, things would finally settle down. But no. His son had suddenly decided to leave for Ukraine to _"help a friend"_ for a few days, and on his return, he had been distant and refused to properly engage with his family. And now he had disappeared to France.

 _I shall have to have very firm words indeed with him,_ he thought, reaching the bottom of the staircase and heading through to the kitchen. _I know I wasn't the father I should have been when he was growing up, but it's important that he spend time with his family. The twins need their big brother, and Angeline and I need our son. Not to mention that-_

Artemis Sr.'s train of thought was very suddenly derailed as he stepped into the kitchen. There was a girl sat at the table with her back to him, dressed in some sort of futuristic armoured suit, complete with mechanical wings. At least, she would have looked like a girl had it not been for the pointed ears and the fact her proportions were those of an adult. There was weapon of some kind, a firearm, strapped to her thigh.

Artemis Sr. found himself unable to do more than stare. The creature turned, no doubt having heard him enter. He was struck immediately by how pretty she was, but after a moment, he noticed her eyes. One blue, one hazel. A perfect mirror image of his son's eyes. And they were red, as though she had been crying.

"You have my son's eyes," he said, a hint of accusation in his voice. "Explain."

Holly gave a sad smile, but said nothing. She would wait until Angeline was here before explaining herself.

"Listen to me. I don't know what you are, but I am a very dangerous man if crossed. I demand-"

 _Classic Fowl,_ thought Holly. _That's exactly the kind of thing Artemis would have said before I changed him._

 _Artemis._ She felt her heart constrict for the thousandth time that day.

Artemis's father never got to finish his demand, because at that moment, his wife appeared his shoulder.

"Holly?" she guessed. "Why are you here?" The elf could almost see the cogs turning behind her eyes as she put two and two together. "Where is my son?"

Artemis Sr. looked at his wife as if she had grown a second head. He opened his mouth to ask some very pointed questions, but Holly spoke before he had a chance.

"Gone," she said, her voice cracked. "Your son is dead."

Neither human reacted at first. They simply stood and stared, the colour draining slowly from their faces.

While Angeline had never met Holly in person, she knew about her from Artemis. She knew that the elf was a friend to her son, and that she would never lie about something like this. The realization washed across her face like a plague. Artemis was gone. The Fowl matriarch's normally commanding presence seemed to fold, like puppet with its strings cut.

She looked at Holly, her eyes hollow and pleading. "How? Please, I have to know. How did he die?"

Holly met her gaze. Her eyes were the same ice blue that Artemis's had been.

"A hero. He died a hero."

* * *

 **Epilogue;**

 **Location Unknown, Time Unknown**

Consciousness came gradually to the boy. Reality called to him from far away, as though across a great chasm. Slowly, he became aware of his physical presence. He was lying down. A gentle breeze suggested he was outside. The ground was soft and cool beneath his face. Grass, perhaps.

 _I am alive,_ he thought.

For reasons he couldn't explain, the thought surprised him. He tried to figure out why, but the memory wouldn't come. In fact, _no_ memories would come. He had a past, he was sure of it, he just… he just couldn't remember. His mind was blank, as though wiped clean.

Despite this, he felt… content. It wasn't a feeling he was used to. He wondered what was responsible for his unusually good mood. Something else he couldn't remember?

No, that wasn't it. It was something from the dream he had been having.

 _The dream… what had it been about?_

He tried to focus, but the images were already fading. There had been darkness, he remembered that. A shadow over his mind that would not let him go. There had been a girl, too. A beautiful girl and an explosion. And suffering. Suffering that had felt like it would never end.

The boy frowned. If the dream had been so bleak, why had it left him feeling happy? The answer was there, he could feel it, at the edge of his consciousness. Just beyond his grasp.

He opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on the grass by the side of a lake, just a few inches from the water. Clear sky met the jagged row of mountain peaks before him. _The Alps,_ he realized, though he could not explain how he knew.

The boy raised his head and studied the still water. His reflection stared back him.

 _Dichromatic eyes,_ he observed. _One blue, one hazel. How unusual._

He paused. They were more than unusual. They were… familiar? He felt the ghost of a memory brush past him, just out of reach. Something from his dream. Whatever it was that had left him feeling so contented.

A hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

 _Holly. Something about Holly._

 _ **The End**_

* * *

 **A/N: You know when I said I was going to write a sequel? This is why. Among other things, it will explain why Artemis isn't dead. The reason I'm leaving that out of here is not because I haven't thought of a way to explain it, but because it will be a relevant part of the plot in the sequel. Also, I wanted to have the subplot of Artemis losing and regaining his memories (like in TLG, at least we assume he eventually regains them there). And yes, there is a good reason that he loses them here, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the sequel to find out ;)**

 **I'm afraid I don't have an exact time for when the it will be up, but I would guess it will be a few months. I have some pretty important exams coming up, but after them I'll have more free time than I'll know what to do with. So it'll be a little while, but I don't plan on being gone for too long.**

 **In a shameless attempt to gain followers, I will now carefully remind everyone that they can follow me as an author to be notified as soon as I start the sequel.**

 **See? I'm unbelievable. But seriously though, if you want to...**

 **Anyway, t** **his has been a great journey for me, and I want to thank everyone who's stuck with me the whole way. I love you guys. Speaking of which... how about leaving me one last review...?**

 **-Kio**


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